From global stripes to local decisions
June 20, 2026
At the 2026 conference of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (AMOS), under the theme “Southern Skies, Southern Oceans: Science on the Edge”, researchers, practitioners and policymakers came together to focus on the shared challenge of turning climate science into decisions that matter in the real world. For the Climate Futures team, the conference marked a step forward in that challenge, with team members presenting on rainfall extremes, storm and cyclone behaviour, high resolution and urban climate modelling, and decision support tools to inform planning and risk assessment.
Across presentations, panels and workshops, a consistent thread emerged. Climate science is becoming more precise, but its value increasingly depends on how effectively it can be applied beyond academia.
Roger Dargaville, Immediate Past President of AMOS, captured the significance of the gathering, “The conference not only showcased cutting‑edge research across atmospheric and ocean processes, applied science, Indigenous weather knowledge, education and outreach initiatives, but most importantly it also strengthened connections.”
Highlights from the Climate Futures team
A/Prof Kathleen Beyer Led discussions on improving climate‑risk decision‑support systems, emphasising the need for scientific outputs that can be directly applied to planning and risk assessment. “Scientific information must translate into decisions we can actually use, not just numbers we archive”. In addition to presenting an overview of the Natural Hazards Atlas for Tasmania, she presented at the National Partnership for Climate Projections (NPCP) workshop and served on the AMOS 2026 organising committee as the lead for the Industry Day, helping shape a program that strengthened links between researchers, government, and industry. A/Prof Beyer’s contributions throughout the conference underscored the importance of tools and partnerships that enable informed decision‑making rather than overwhelming users.
Dr Krishneel Sharma presented new research on Tasmanian storm climatology, analysing how extratropical cyclones, cold fronts and tropical remnants drive weather extremes. His work compared reanalysis data (ERA5, NCEP1 and JRA55) with high‑resolution CORDEX‑CMIP6 models, identifying regional shifts in storm density under SSP3‑7.0 scenario. The findings will directly support the Natural Hazards Atlas for Tasmania.
Dr Sandra Koenigseder contributed to one of the Science Industry Day panel discussions and presented work from her PhD. She spoke as a panelist on collaborations for applied climate science and presented research on high‑resolution climate modelling and the influence of climate on tidewater glaciers in southern Alaska (link to paper). “It was great to see how collaboration between research, government and industry continues to grow. The conference showed that advances in climate science and modelling are not just academic, but important for informed, real‑world decision‑making.”
Dr Annabel Bowden examined how rare rainfall extremes over Tasmania may change under a high‑emissions scenario using CMIP6 regional climate models. She highlighted that “the extreme rainfall events that are the most difficult to forecast are shaping up to be the events most affected by climate change.” This echoed broader conference conversations on rainfall extremes and storm dynamics. Beyond her scientific contribution, she also served on the AMOS 2026 organising committee as the lead for the Early Career Researcher (ECR) event, providing opportunities for emerging researchers to network with their peers and strengthen bonds.
Dr Ben Weeding shared a Hobart‑focused case study exploring how machine‑learning‑based wind‑speed modelling influences thermal stress calculations. He discussed how combining detailed modelling of wind speed and radiation in the urban environment can reveal how urban landscapes influence heat stress, and how that heat stress is likely to change in the future and the importance of connecting precision modelling with lived experience.
Dr Kathy Allen presented her research on understanding past fire occurrence in Australia using tree-ring records. She noted, “Understanding past fire occurrence helps us better understand long-term changes in the environment. It also helps put current changes in a longer-term context.” Dr Allen also contributed to the success of AMOS 2026 through helping with School Engagement activities, ensuring that outreach and education formed an integral part of the conference program.
Dr Peter Love took part in the CORDEX and NPCP climate projections workshop during which he gave a short presentation on his research into recent trends observed in sub-hourly extreme precipitation in Australian capital cities. Early indications from weather radar and automatic weather station observations are of increasing intensity of short duration extreme rainfall events on the east coast and decreasing intensity elsewhere.
Emerging research presented by Climate Futures PhD candidates highlighted how the next generation of climate scientists is tackling interconnected risks facing Australia. Their work spans climate data analysis, risk perception and systems thinking, helping improve how we anticipate cascading impacts across sectors including water, agriculture, renewable energy and infrastructure.
PhD candidate Biniyam Menna investigated spatially compounding drought and pluvial events across the Murray–Darling Basin. His work demonstrates how multi‑location cascading events can stress critical systems and how this can inform planning for agriculture and water management. Nisha Wagle presented research on climate risk perceptions for renewable energy in Australia, focusing on how stakeholders interpret and respond to climate‑related risks, and Bennie Mildren presented on using simple neural networks for large‑scale climate data classification, demonstrating efficient approaches to handling massive datasets. Another Climate Futures PhD candidate, Maria Duynisveld, helped with conference logistics.
Where science meets action
Together, the team’s contributions highlighted Climate Futures’ commitment to bridging fundamental climate science with applied adaptation – ensuring research directly supports planning, risk assessment and resilience across sectors.
Nancy Van Nieuwenhove is helping Climate Futures deliver the new Climate Projections for Tasmania project. For her, AMOS highlighted the shared resolve to turn science into action. She notes: “Physics doesn’t care about sectors or jurisdictions, and the climate system won’t wait for organisational charts to align. Climate risk cannot be solved by any single group, which is why true cross‑sector collaboration isn’t optional, it’s the only way forward.”
Under southern skies, the Climate Futures research team continues to turn scientific understanding into decision‑useful climate information through its flagship initiatives:
