Welcome to UNSW Climate Change Research Centre (CCRC)

The Copenhagen Diagnosis will be released in an international coordinated event at:
Tuesday, 24th November 2009, 1000 hours (US Eastern Standard Time, EST)
Tuesday, 24th November 2009, 1500 hours (UTC/GMT)
Tuesday, 24th November 2009, 1600 hours (Central European Time)
Wednesday 25th November 2009, 0200 hours (Australian Eastern Summer time)

www.copenhagendiagnosis.org

About The CCRC

UNSW CCRC is a multi-disciplinary research group comprising one of the largest university research facilities of its kind in Australia.

CCRC houses research expertise in the key areas Earth's climate: atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial processes. We apply basic scientific principles to pressing questions on climate dynamics, global climate change, and extremes of weather and climate. Our atmosphere research includes studies of convection, radiation, climate feedbacks, and factors controlling precipitation changes and other meteorological impacts. Our oceans program involves large-scale physical oceanography, coastal ocean circulation, palaeoclimate dynamics, oceanic thermohaline circulation, wave breaking and global biogeochemical cycles. On the land surface, we focus on modelling terrestrial processes in climate models, to develop our understanding of the effects of carbon dynamics, hydrology and vegetation processes on climate.

Scientists at CCRC employ a variety of research tools including global and regional models of the atmosphere, ocean and land surface, coastal domain simulations and process models. We also use a great variety of data collected from satellites, weather stations, ships, eddy-flux towers and aircraft from regions as diverse as the Great Barrier Reef, the tropics, urban surfaces, the Tasman Sea and Antarctica.

Click here for more information about the CCRC team.

To find out about PhD scholarships in Climate Science, click here.

Latest news

The clean industrial revolution
So where does Australia’s economic future lie in this rapidly changing world? In this compelling book, climate scientist and economist Ben McNeil demonstrates the immense opportunities that will open up if Australia leads the new clean industrial revolution.

Winner of the 2009 Young Tall Poppy Science Award: Dr Donna Green
Dr Donna Green of CCRC is one of three Science Faculty scholars honoured at the 2009 Young Tall Poppy Awards hosted by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science..

Looming El Nino sets up gloomy forecast
South-east Australians can expect little relief from below average rainfall according to climate experts.

More news...

Reading past climates to see the future

With the massive Antarctic Circumpolar Current circling the Southern Ocean, largely preventing north-south flow across it and thereby isolating Antarctica from the subtropics, many scientists believe the existence of the Southern Ocean acts to cool Antarctica. But what other climate patterns might the Southern Ocean control?

An addiction that fouls the air

Coal provides nearly 80 per cent of Australia's electricity needs. Not the US, Russia or even China has a bigger coal addiction, despite having vastly more coal reserves than Australia. The Australian Greenhouse Office says emissions from coal-dominated electricity generation rose 50 per cent between 1990 and 2004.

Bali or bust

The Bali Climate Declaration has made the scientific view on emissions targets patently clear. It is now over to the policy makers to give the planet a decent future.

The Big Engine: oceans and weather

Federation Fellow and 2008 Eureka Prize winner, Professor Matthew England of CCRC, on the latest research into the role oceans play on weather.