FUTURE climate predictions have been given a boost, with the launch of a $7.6 million “Earth System Simulator” at the Australian National University (ANU).

The new facility, the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator National Research Infrastructure (ACCESS-NRI), will provide researchers with better information on climate change, extreme weather events, and past and future Earth systems.

ACCESS-NRI brings together researchers from the Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO, Monash University, the University of Melbourne, UNSW Sydney, the University of Tasmania and ANU, as well as international partners.

Inaugural Director, Professor Andy Hogg from ANU, said ACCESS-NRI’s suite of computer models already power international global climate reports, weather forecasting, seasonal prediction, climate projection and climate adaptation policy.

ACCESS-NRI combines ocean, sea-ice and land surface models with a range of chemical and biological models.

The models simulate physical interactions across the Earth system and can predict weather and climate conditions from a few hours to many decades in the future.

“Now as a National Research Infrastructure, we will build a community of practice across all of Australia and hopefully the world,” Professor Hogg said.

“This will not only mean more powerful and insightful research, but hopefully better decisions for the pressing challenges and acute stresses our nation and world face, including climate change.

“Models are only as good as the people behind them. With ACCESS-NRI we are bringing the best of the best together.”