Bureau welcomes release of Technical Advisory Forum report

10/10/2016

The Bureau of Meteorology welcomes the release of the second annual report of the Technical Advisory Forum established to advise the Bureau on the development and operation of the Australian Climate Observations Reference Network – Surface Air Temperature (ACORN-SAT) dataset.

The Bureau is pleased to note the Forum finds the complex ACORN-SAT dataset is well maintained.

The Forum has reiterated the importance of adjusting data through the process of homogenisation to maintain a meaningful and consistent set of temperature records over time. It is necessary to remove influences from changes in site location, instruments or observing practices or other non-climate factors. The Forum has again noted the Bureau is internationally recognised for its expertise in this methodology.

In 2015, the Forum found that the analyses conducted by the Bureau reflect good practice and this has been noted again.

In the 2016 report, the Forum has made three recommendations to guide the Bureau's continuous efforts for improvement. The Bureau welcomes the recommendations which all relate to communication and accessibility of the dataset and increasing engagement with the statistical and research community. Each of these recommendations aligns with the Bureau's priorities for improving the ACORN-SAT dataset, and will provide for continued improvements in our data and its use.

The Bureau is carefully considering the Forum's report and will shortly release a formal response to its recommendations.

The Technical Advisory Forum was set up for a three-year term to further enhance the quality and value of the ACORN-SAT dataset. The forum was a recommendation of an independent peer review in 2011 which noted that the Bureau's practices are among the best in the world.

View the Report of the Technical Advisory Forum.