Climate science, information and resources
Climate science and information
The South Australian Government is committed to improving the evidence base to help the state make the best decisions, find innovative solutions, and take action to respond and adapt to our changing climate.
Climate change science and knowledge plan for South Australia
Preparing for the effects of climate change requires good science and information. The updated Climate Change Science and Knowledge Plan for South Australia 2022 outlines actions improve the evidence base to make decisions, find innovative solutions, and take action to respond and adapt to our changing climate.
Guide to climate projections for South Australia
Computer modelled climate projections are the best information we have available on our future climate. The Guide to climate projections for risk assessment and planning in South Australia 2022 provides information on the likely future changes in South Australia’s climate to help individuals, organisations and local and state governments to plan for our future. Statewide maps of key climate variables are also now available. See: Climate projections for South Australia - maps and key findings 2022 .
Also see:
- Climate Change in Australia. The CSIRO, in collaboration with the Bureau of Meteorology, released climate projections for Australian regions in 2015.
- SA Climate Ready Project. The Goyder Institute for Water Research released the most comprehensive set of downscaled climate projections data ever available in South Australia in 2015.
Urban heat and tree canopy mapping
The Urban Heat and Tree Mapping Viewer enables the exploration of high-resolution surface temperature data for the Adelaide metropolitan area.
Coasts
The Coastal Flood Mapping Viewer identifies areas that may be vulnerable to coastal flooding at a regional scale as well as allows users to visualise the potential impacts of different sea level rise scenarios.
OzCoasts provides comprehensive information about Australia's coast, including its estuaries, coastal waterways and climate change impact. This helps to generate a better understanding of coastal environments, the complex processes that occur in them, the potential environmental health issues.
Coast Adapt contains material to support coastal adaptation in Australia, including data, guidance materials, decision support and tools, as well as straightforward information.
Adaptation
The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility publishes a range of information products, including research reports, fact sheets, data, presentations and other outputs that can support climate change adaptation planning and decision making.
Agriculture
Primary Industries and Regions South Australia works with primary industries to improve the assessment and management of climate risk and the adaptation of crops to environmental stresses.
The Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s climate and drought research focuses on understanding and measuring the effect of climate variability and change in agricultural industries. They also produce weekly climate, water and agricultural updates, which summarizes recent climatic conditions, notable weather events and their impact on agriculture, water storage levels, irrigation allocations, and commodity prices.
Climate Services for Agriculture helps Australian farmers to adapt to climate variability and related trends and thereby improving the viability of their businesses.
Renewable energy industry resources
The government has a number of renewable energy resources that can help guide the setting and development of renewable energy developments.
Environmental reporting
South Australian Environmental Trend and Condition Report Cards report the current condition and trends for key natural assets such as water, native vegetation and soil. They also include information on environmental pressures such as climate change.
State of the Environment reports are published every four years and provide information on the condition of South Australia’s natural resources and trends in environmental quality. The reports include information related to climate change.
Other Quick Links
The Data SA Land Use dataset depicts land use across South Australia mapped over recent years and derived from aerial imagery followed by an on-ground survey.
The Enviro Data SA - SA land cover is a dataset that models land cover throughout the state. By understanding previous land cover changes, we can inform future native vegetation, biodiversity conservation, agriculture, forestry, carbon capture and storage, and urban development decisions in our state.
TheAustralian Water Outlook is an interactive website that provides Australia-wide information on key landscape water balance components including soil moisture, runoff, evapotranspiration and precipitation.
CFS Bushfire history - Research undertaken by Luke and McArthur (1978) indicates that South Australia can expect serious fires somewhere in the State in 6 or 7 years out of every 10.
