Climate science is a complex field encompassing disciplines such as mathematics, atmospheric science, oceanography, and physics. It also intersects with other areas like geology, chemistry, biology, soil science, data analysis, and hydrology.
For decision-makers, encountering unfamiliar terminology can feel overwhelming. Briefing notes are invaluable tools that simplify complex climate science concepts by translating scientific research into plain English. They offer concise, accessible explanations of scientific findings.
In collaboration with researchers and decision-makers, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes produced 51 briefing notes on topics ranging from urban climate to the fundamentals of climate models during its tenure. These briefing notes were widely distributed and recognised by government, industry, and media, setting a benchmark for others to follow.
Below is the complete list of briefing notes published by the Centre.
Climate change and tipping pointsMarch 7, 2022
Tipping points exist in the climate system, and it is very unlikely that all tipping points are known. Different tipping points are understood with different levels of confidence, they operate on different timescales, can interact to trigger cascades of abrupt changes, and some tipping point changes are irreversible on timescales of centuries to millennia. View briefing note
Could understanding the Indian Ocean improve climate predictions for Australia?March 3, 2022
Conditions in the Indian Ocean can affect the risk of Australia experiencing droughts, floods, marine heatwaves and bushfires and alter the prospects for rainfed agriculture in some parts of the country. View briefing note
IPCC AR6 Working Group 1 report: conclusions on the evolving risk of droughtSeptember 7, 2021
Drought is a major risk to Australia with extended periods of drought affecting our social, economic and environmental systems. The newly released report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change contains significant new assessments of the science and future projections of drought. View briefing note
The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report: What does it mean for Tasmania?September 7, 2021
To better understand the implications of the latest climate science for Tasmania, this brief combines information from the IPCC AR6 WG1 report, with regional assessments that contributed to the UTAS Blueprint for a climate-positive Tasmania, and expertise from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes (CLEX). View briefing note
What is left in the global carbon budget?August 25, 2021
The Paris Agreement requires countries to commit to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions to ensure that the global average temperature remains well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C. But how likely are we to meet these targets? View briefing note