ANUClimate 2.0

ANUClimate 2.0 consists of gridded daily and monthly climate variables across the terrestrial landmass of Australia from at least 1970 to the present. Rainfall grids are generated from 1900 to the present. The underpinning spatial models have been developed at the Fenner School of Environment and Society of the Australian National University. They incorporate new approaches to the interpolation of Australia's national point climate data. The methods generate climate variables on a 0.01° longitude/latitude grid. Most climate values have been modelled by expressing each value as a normalised anomaly with respect to gridded 1976-2005 monthly means. These means and the anomalies were all interpolated by trivariate thin plate smoothing spline functions of longitude, latitude and vertically exaggerated elevation using ANUSPLIN Version 4.6, with additional dependences on proximity to the coast for the temperature and vapour pressure variables. ANUClimate 2.0 incorporates systematic upgrades to the methods and data quality assurance employed in ANUClimate 1.0. The gridded climate variables can be used to support the modelling and assessment of a wide range of natural resources, including agricultural productivity, flora and fauna, water resources, human health and carbon accounting.