Just Accepted
This article has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. It is in production and has not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.
Impacts of the CSIRO Climate Modelling Program.
Abstract
The role of climate modelling groups into the development of international agreements that aim to assess future climatic risks and limit greenhouse gas concentrations, is not well recognized. It is arguable that no such agreements would have been possible without carefully designed and managed research programs that provided the data upon which these risks and thus, decisions were made. Many groups contributed data that underpinned the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report published in 2014 that led to the ground-breaking Paris Protocol. Australia's contribution included the results of a CSIRO climate model which had its genesis in a relatively simple weather forecast model two decades previously. Two people were mainly responsible for the modelling program which led to this accomplishment - Barrie Hunt and Hal Gordon. A brief history of the program is described here and, via some basic metrics, indicates some surprising impacts.
HR24027 Accepted 27 February 2025
© Australian Academy of Science 2025
