CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research
| Abbreviation | DAR |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1983 |
| Dissolved | 2005 |
| Type | Research division |
| Headquarters | Aspendale, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 38°1′30″S 145°6′6″E / 38.02500°S 145.10167°E |
| Fields | Atmospheric Research |
Parent organization | CSIRO | Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation |
| Website | https://research.csiro.au |
CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research (DAR) (1983–2005) was a research section (Division) of the CSIRO, Australia's largest government-supported science research agency. In 2005 the Division was merged with CSIRO Marine Research to form CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research.
Description and formation
[edit]The CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research (abbreviation within CSIRO: DAR) was a Division of the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific Industrial and Research Organisation), Australia's national science research agency, in existence from 1983 to 2005. It was formed as a merger between the pre-existing Divisions of Atmospheric Physics and Cloud Physics, which between them had other forerunners including the Division of Meteorological Physics, Radiophysics, and the CSIRO Upper Atmosphere Section.[1] It ceased to exist as a named entity (although its work was carried on) in 2005 when it merged with CSIRO Marine Research under the new name CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research. Its past activities are extensively documented in a 1998 publication by J. Garratt et al.[2] The Division's climate modelling activities, 1981 to 2006, are described here.[3] A 2026 ABC News article describes the 50-year air sampling program at Cape Grim, Tasmania, conducted by the Division jointly with the Bureau of Meteorology, and its significance.[4]
Location
[edit]Its facilities were located at Aspendale, Victoria and Canberra, ACT (CSIRO Black Mountain and Gungahlin sites).
Staffing and budget
[edit]According to figures on the Division's website from June 1996, at that date the Division employed 145 science and support staff across its three locations.[5] Its annual operating budget in 1998 was approximately around AUD$15 million.[6]
Activities
[edit]As at 1996, the Division's work was organised into four programs: Atmospheric Pollution; Atmospheric Processes; Climate Modelling; and Global Atmospheric Change.[5] By 2005, the Division's work was organised into 4 Themes:[7]
- Air Quality and Health
- Air Pollutants: Sources, Modelling & Exposure
- Atmosphere and Earth Observation Theme
- Greenhouse Gases: Observations & Modelling
- COSSA/Earth Observation Centre and Global Carbon Project (AGO)
- Climate and Weather
- Climate & Weather: Applications & Impacts
- Climate Impact
- Complex Systems Science
- Land-Air Interactions
- Coupled Carbon–Water Cycles
- Wind Energy Research Unit
The Division operated the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station in a joint arrangement with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.[8] Over two decades of the Division's work in climate modelling provided critical data to the 2014 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report that led to the ground-breaking Paris Agreement.[9]
Publications
[edit]A 2026 search on "Google Scholar" yields about 2,500 results (articles plus monographs) that include "CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research" in the text,[10] the majority comprising works authored by staff of the Division as primary or associate author.
Divisional chiefs
[edit]Source: CSIROpedia[1]
- 1983–92 Gilbert Brian Tucker
- 1992–95 Graeme Ivan Pearman
- 1995–96 Brian Lewis Sawford (acting)
- 1996–2002 Graeme Ivan Pearman
- 2002–2005 Gregory Peter Ayers
From 2005 the Division ceased to exist, becoming a part of CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Marine and Atmospheric Research Divisions". CSIROpedia. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ↑ Garratt, John; Angus, David; Holper, Paul (1998). Winds of Change: Fifty Years of Achievements in the CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research 1946-1996. Melbourne: CSIRO. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-643-06363-1.
- ↑ Smith, I. (2007). "Global climate modelling within CSIRO: 1981 to 2006" (PDF). Australian Meteorological Magazine. 56 (3): 131–166.
- ↑ "Cape Grim's 50-year air record reveals true scale of humans' impact on planet". abc.net.au. 6 April 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- 1 2 "CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research". Archived from the original on 21 October 1997. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (archived version, 21 October 1997) - ↑ CSIRO Australia, 1998: CSIRO Annual Report for Year 1997-98. Available at https://csiropedia.csiro.au/wp-content/uploads/1991/10/1997-1998-CSIRO-Annual-Report.pdf
- ↑ "CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research". Archived from the original on 31 March 2005. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (archived version, 31 March 2005) - ↑ Fraser, Paul J. (2007). A brief history of the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station (PDF). Melbourne: CSIRO. p. 6. ISBN 978 1 921424 10 6. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ↑ Smith, I. (2025). "Impacts of the CSIRO climate modelling program". Historical Records of Australian Science. 36 (1) HR24027. doi:10.1071/HR24027.
- ↑ Google Scholar search conducted 11 April 2026, input string "CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research", result available at https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=%22CSIRO+Division+of+Atmospheric+Research%22