Factsheet 2: Finding the Right Source of Climate Information for Your Needs
Many different sources of climate data and information have been developed. In many cases, these have been designed for specific purposes or to suit different audiences and present the information in different ways. As a result, people looking for climate information can feel overwhelmed by the number of different sources of information and the range of options.
This factsheet distils the large amount of available climate data sources down to a small number of sources most useful to people in Queensland and provides a handy guide to help you select the right dataset for your particular needs.
The Queensland Future Climate Science Program provides climate projections data and information using both CMIP5 and CMIP6 climate models. CMIP refers to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, and the latest generation of climate models are part of the sixth phase of the project (CMIP6 for short). In the sections below, the availability of climate projections using these generations of climate models is identified with CMIP5 and CMIP6. For more information on these generations of models, please see factsheet #6 on this page.
A Short-List of Suitable Sources
Climate Projections and Information
The Queensland Regional Climate Change Impact Summaries
Provide snapshots of climate risks, impacts and responses for the major regions, including climate change projections for 2050 and 2090 under three emissions scenarios.
Queensland Future Climate Dashboard
Provides an easy-to-use, map-based interface for climate projections data for Queensland, enabling users to access data for specific regions such as local government areas or major river catchments. Please refer to the User Guide for more information on using the Dashboard, and to other factsheets on this page for more information on the climate models, scenarios and key terms used.
The Queensland Future Climate: Regional Explorer
Provides easy access to summary tables and time-series charts for several climate variables over selected regions.
The Queensland Future Climate: Understanding the data
web page explains how climate models work, how Queensland's high-resolution climate projections data were developed, and provides guidance on how to interpret and apply the projections data.
The Heatwave case study
summarises the expected effects of climate change on the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, and potential implications for health, infrastructure, services and industries. It provides information via maps and time-series charts.
The Water security casestudy
explores the potential effects of climate change on our water supply and water security, and how these effects can be managed. It provides information via maps and time-series charts.
The Water security case study
explores the potential effects of climate change on our water supply and water security, and how these effects can be managed. It provides information via maps and time-series charts.
The Tropical Cyclone Hazard Dashboard
Presents information on severe wind hazards associated with tropical cyclones out to 2090, expressed as both Average Recurrence Intervals (ARI) and Annual Exceedance Probabilities (AEP). This presents the data component of the Severe Wind Hazard Assessment for Queensland (SWHA-Q) delivered in partnership with the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) and Geoscience Australia.
The SWHA-Q aims to better understand the potential impacts of current and future tropical cyclones across Queensland's regions and to better communicate the projected changes in cyclone behaviour across Queensland.
The High-resolution Projections Data Pages
Provide access to gridded datasets for both the CMIP5 and CMIP6 projections, including the individual climate models, all climate variables, and additional time periods (daily, monthly, seasonal). The data are provided in netCDF format and are most appropriate for users with programming skills. Please see factsheet #4 for more information on how to navigate and use these gridded datasets.
Sea Level Rise
Coast Adapt
Provides sea level projections and maps for local government areas, although the map coverage is incomplete. Where available, there are maps for two future emissions scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) for 2050 and 2100.
Coastal Risk Australia
provides more coverage and more flexibility in the map displays than CoastAdapt. In addition to viewing sea level projections for different scenarios, you can manually set the level (in 10cm increments up to 10m) to display on the map, which is useful for exploring the implications of low-likelihood but higher impact levels (e.g. based on the higher range or longer-term information in the latest IPCC report), decision trigger points etc.
Canute 3
(CSIRO) provides estimates of the likelihood of extreme sea levels during this century, taking into account climate-related sea level rise as well as the effects of tides, storm surges and wave setup.
National climate data sources
The Climate Change in Australia
(CCiA) site provides a platform to access climate summary information and projections data for all of Australia. CCiA provides a number of tools that allow users to explore different aspects of future climate change in different ways. However, CCiA doesn't provide data at the same spatial scale, the same range of variables and extreme event indices, nor the same degree of flexibility for accessing data for defined regions and in different formats as available on Queensland Future Climate.
Sector-specific resources and tools
In addition to the general resources listed above, there are some designed specifically to meet the needs of particular sectors such as energy and agriculture. Links to these resources are provided below, but they are not included in the suitability matrix because of their narrow and sector-specific focus.
Electricity Sector Climate Information (ESCI)
provides climate and extreme weather information for the electricity sector.
My Climate View
(formerly Climate Services for Agriculture) provides agriculture-relevant historical, seasonal and future climate information for production locations across Australia.
Common Applications
General Information
Many people start exploring climate change information out of curiosity or self-education. Others are seeking simple but trustworthy information that can be used in documents like school reports, communication materials, presentations, briefs and regional profiles. Simple summary tables and charts can often meet these needs.
Climate Risk Assessments
Risk assessments vary in the level of detail required and are often performed in sequence, getting more focussed and detailed at each step:
- 1st pass risk assessment (also called a 'scan cycle' in the Climate Compass risk assessment methodology) - an initial or high-level exploration to identify the most relevant climate hazards and risks, to prioritise further work or scope for the other cycles.
- 2nd pass risk assessment ('strategy cycle') - a formal climate risk assessment for a particular entity or activity to develop a strategic climate risk management or adaptation plan.
- 3rd pass risk assessment ('project cycle') - a detailed climate risk assessment that can be used for specific projects, including operational planning and major investment decisions.
Adaptation plannings
This typically follows a multi-step process: assess priority climate risks; identify options to reduce or manage those risks; plan, fund and implement management actions; and monitor and review to improve outcomes. Adaptation plans can vary greatly in their scope, level of complexity and requirements for climate data. Coast Adapt is a great resource for adaptation planning.
Detailed hazard analysis
The quantification of climate hazards to enable estimates of exposure and vulnerability can require more detailed information on extreme events under climate change, e.g. projected changes in the frequency, duration and intensity of events relating to extreme heat, rainfall, wind and fire weather. Hazard-specific resources can often provide this kind of information in a variety of formats.
Research and modelling
Researchers and modellers are likely to seek high-resolution projections data at fine time scales and for specific climate models that are known to be appropriate for an application or to enable calculation of specialised indices. Examples include hydrological modelling, bioclimatic modelling and engineering applications.
Strategic policy and planning
Large organisations, including all levels of government, NGOs and private sector organisations, will seek information on changes to climate hazards and risks over strategic timeframes to inform the development of or amendments to policies, regulations, governance structures, decision-making frameworks, operations and procedures that adequately consider the effects of climate change.
Reporting and compliance
Driven by emerging standards for reporting on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and financial disclosures of climate risk such as the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), public and private organisations will need information to demonstrate the assessment and management of climate risks.
Suitability Matrix
The suitability matrix below can help match the climate information sources against their ideal applications. Large dark green circles indicate a close match between the source and intended use, and that these would be the recommended climate information sources to use in each case.
