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The Climate Futures for Tasmania research program

The Climate Futures for Tasmania research project is the Tasmanian Government’s most important source of climate change data at a local scale. It is an essential part of Tasmania’s climate change strategy as stated in the Tasmanian Framework for Action on Climate Change. The project is creating the first fine-scale climate information for Tasmania by downscaling six global climate models with two IPCC emission scenarios (A2 and B1) to generate climate information from 1961 to 2100. The project recently finished generating more than 70 terabytes of climate simulations data covering 140 variables at more than 700 grid points across Tasmania.

From the new Climate Futures data, we are analysing and interpreting information in four main disciplines: General Climate, Water and Catchments, Extreme Events and Agriculture. We have received many enquiries from researchers keen to analyse the information in complementary projects and other discipline areas, for example bushfires and infrastructure. All the modelling simulations are available to the research community through the Tasmanian Partnership for Advanced Computing (TPAC portal). Our peer-reviewed technical reports containing the scientific methods and results in five volumes will be released from early 2010. 

Additionally, in November 2008, we delivered the first high-resolution digital terrain mapping data covering vulnerable Tasmanian coastlines. The Climate Futures LiDAR Dataset of high-resolution height data up to the 10-metre contour is used by researchers, planners and local government to identify and assess areas that may be affected by or vulnerable to sea-level rise, sea inundation and storm tidal surges. The LiDAR data and basic overlays can be viewed and generated online via "TheLIST": the Land Information Service Tasmania, the Tasmanian Government’s web-based spatial information service. However, because of the size and complexity of the dataset, specialised computer equipment, GIS software and processing knowledge is needed to read and manipulate the large quantities of the data required for specialised research and planning purposes. The full dataset includes contour mapping at 25 centimetre. Researchers wanting to manipulate large quantities of Climate Futures LiDAR data can contact the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment to discuss how the data can be best obtained. Send an email request to listdatasales@dpipwe.tas.gov.au

For further information, contact Project Liaisonand Extension Officer Suzie Gaynor on 03 6226 7522 or ClimateFutures@acecrc.org.au

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