Use the catalogue to search for material about weather and climate held at the National Library of Australia.

You can use a basic search to search for material about weather and climate by entering your search terms or key words into the text box.

Once you run your search you can narrow your results using the filters listed on the right-hand side of the page. For example, to limit results to digitised material only, select ‘NLA digitised material’ from the list of filters.

Print material can be requested through the catalogue using your National Library card and can be viewed in the reading rooms.

For example: results for natural disasters Pacific region or results for Indigenous knowledge climate.

Information about weather in digitised historic newspapers

Use Trove to search for material about weather and climate in digitised historic newspapers.

You can use a basic search to search for material about weather and climate by entering your search terms or key words into the text box. Choose ‘Newspapers & Gazettes’ from the drop-down list of categories.

Once you run your search you can narrow your results using the filters listed on the right-hand side of the page.

For example: results for flooding, results for weather report and results for Cyclone Mackay.

Subject headings

You can search for material about weather and climate by searching subject headings. To do this, visit the catalogue, change the drop-down menu to ‘Subjects’.

As you begin typing in the text box, the catalogue should suggest some relevant subject headings.

When you click on a subject heading, it will open a list of every item in the catalogue with that heading.

Weather and climate manuscripts

The Library’s Manuscripts collection includes a range of material about weather and climate. For example, we hold the manuscript papers of environmentalist and writer Judith Wright, conservationist Fay Sutton and climatologist Albert Barrie Pittcock. Some of our manuscript collections have Finding Aids linked to the catalogue records; these documents can be used to identify items of interest within a manuscript collection.

To find weather and climate material in the manuscript collection, type your search terms into the basic search text box, and select ‘Manuscript’ from the ‘Add Limits’ dropdown menu.

Special collection formats, including manuscripts, aerial photographs, maps and pictures can be requested through the catalogue using your National Library card and can be viewed in the Special Collections Reading Room. There are special requirements for using special collections to help keep them safe.

Fairfax Corporation, 1920, Edward Timcker Reading the Temperature on Thermostats at the Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales, ca. 1920s, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-161044970

Weather and climate eResources

You can also find weather and climate content using the National Library’s eResources portal.

The portal contains subscribed databases, most of which are accessible from home using your National Library card. There are a few databases related to weather and climate, including but not limited to:

• Bureau of Meteorology Climate Data Online – provides access to a range of statistics, historic weather observations, climatology maps, and other Australian climate data.
• UNdata – contains United Nations statistical information covering a wide range of themes, including energy, environment and the Millennium Development Goals indicators.
• Water: Science and Issues – contains information about important water science concepts and current issues.

To access these databases, visit the eResources portal and sign in with your National Library card via the yellow banner at the top of the page.

• Once you are signed into the portal, click on the ‘Browse eResources’ tab and filter the subject area using the categories on the left-hand side of the screen.
• Under the ‘Science & Technology’ category filter you will find the subjects ‘Biological and Life Sciences’ and ‘Environmental Science’.
• Under the ‘Social Sciences’ category filter you will find the subjects ‘Mapping’ and ‘Statistics’. Each of these subject filters contains weather and climate information.

The National Library holds a range of historical resources about weather and climate in its collection. They provide insight into historical weather patterns and events and changing approaches to meteorology over time.

The collection includes the personal papers of notable meteorologists, ships journals, travellers’ diaries and the official records of significant scientific and conservation bodies.

For example, we hold the Meteorological Observations made between 1822 and 1825 by New South Wales Governor, Sir Thomas Brisbane, who was responsible for establishing the Observatory at Parramatta, and the papers of colonial surveyor Phillip Parker King whose observations include information about the climate along the east coast of Australia in the early 1800s.

The National Library also holds documents relating to Louis and Rose de Freycinet who explored and made meteorological observations of the south and south-west coasts of Australia. Rose stowed away on her husband’s ship when it departed Toulon, France in 1817 and kept a journal throughout the expedition. The meteorological journal kept on board the Dolphin during Francis Thomas Gregory’s North West Australian Exploring Expedition in 1861 is housed in the National Library’s collection, as are the papers of Clara Elisabeth Heyer whose diary records descriptions of climate along the east coast of Australia from an expedition in the late 1890s.

Other notable historical resources in the Library’s collection include manuscripts relating to geographer and meteorologist Thomas Griffith Taylor; the published works of New South Wales government astronomer and meteorologist from 1870 to 1903, Henry Chamberlain Russell; the manuscript papers of Pietro Baracchi, government astronomer and meteorologist in Victoria from 1900 to 1915; and the manuscript papers and photographs of Frederick Rose, who served as the meteorologist on Groot Eylandt in the Northern Territory in 1938.

The National Library also holds papers relating to conservation from the Australian Conservation Foundation and material relating to the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science.

Prominent meteorologists

The Australian Dictionary of Biography provides a list of some significant Australian meteorologists from the early 1830s to the mid 1970s.

Australian Information Service, Miss Madge Wilson, The Steppes, Tasmania, 92 years of age admires a painting presented to her by the Bureau of Meteorology to mark her 50 years service as a rainfall observer, 1973, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137894430

Aerial photographs and historic maps of coastal areas in Australia and the Pacific

The Library’s collection includes aerial photographs and historic maps of coastal areas in Australia and some from the wider region. Use your key words or search terms using the catalogue’s basic search function.

Once you have run your search select ‘Maps’ from the filters on the right-hand side of the page.

Geoscience Australia also have a range of archival aerial photographs available for order.

Ships logs

Ships logs can be used as a source for historical climate observations.

The Library holds a variety of ships logs. To find them, browse the subject heading ‘Logbooks’ in the Library’s catalogue.

To do this, visit the catalogue, change the drop-down menu to ‘Subjects’ and type ‘Logbooks’ into the text search bar. Then choose ‘Logbooks’ from the drop-down menu.

For example: results for Logbooks subject heading search.

The Library has a large collection of contemporary resources about weather and climate. There is also a wide range of reputable sources about weather and climate available online. You will find a selection of these resources below.

Dean Sewell, The Pacific Climate Warriors in Canoes Blockading Coal Ships at the Port of Newcastle, Newcastle Harbour, New South Wales, 17 October 2014. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-726588877

Print resources

The Library’s reference collection is available in the Main Reading Room. It contains a range of encyclopaedias and general reference material about weather and climate, including the Encyclopaedia of World Climatology and The Encyclopaedia of Weather and Climate Change: A Complete Visual Guide.

The Library’s print collection also includes a range of other material about weather and climate including books that offer a general explanation about the science of weather and climate like Understanding the Earth System and the Physics of the Atmosphere and Climate. Other material in the collection focuses more closely on the climate of Australia and its region such as The Australian Weather Book: Understanding our Climate and How it Affects us, The Weather and Climate of Australia and New Zealand, A Change in the Weather: Climate and Culture in Australia and Australian Climate Law in Global Context.

For advice on how to access these materials, see Searching for weather and climate material (above).

Non-print resources

The Library’s collection contains material about weather and climate in a diverse range of formats, including special collections like oral histories, pictures and ephemera. For example, the Water and Shifting Cultural Values oral history project, photographs from the School Strike 4 Climate rally in Melbourne on the 21st May 2021, a variety of music compositions for and about climate and weather maps.

For advice on how to access these materials, see Searching for weather and climate material (above).

Online resources

There are many reputable weather and climate resources available online.

• The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency dedicated to scientific research. CSIROs website offers access to a range of educational resources, including datasets and teaching tools, and information about their research projects, including projects related to natural environments and environmental impacts. The CSIRO also has a range of Citizen Science Projects for Australians to take part in.
• The CSIRO’s research publications are searchable online. To access and read full-text articles, use the ‘Advanced Search’ option and select the ‘full text’ box.
• The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) provides a range of information about weather and climate in Australia, including weather forecasts across the country. They have information about long-range weather and climate available on their website, as well as information about climate change and weather extremes.
  • The BoM offers access to a range of Indigenous Weather Knowledges in partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and Monash University’s Centre for Indigenous Studies. This site has detailed traditional weather and climate knowledge from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with seasonal information displayed in an interactive map.
  • The National Meteorology Library is maintained by the BoM and holds a specialised collection of information related to the study of weather and climate. You can search their collection using the search bar on their website home page.
• Climate Change in Australia is a joint initiative of the CSIRO and the BoM. It brings together a range of resources and information about climate change including data, projection tools, the National Climate Statement, communication resources and learning tools.
• The Australian Academy of Science provides access to a variety of articles, videos and publications about a wide range of scientific topics, including content about climate and environmental sciences.
• The Federal Department of Industry, Science and Resources provides a range of resources, including publications about climate change, greenhouse gases and energy.
• CoastAdapt offers resources to help understand the changing climate in coastal regions. Information is presented in a variety of ways, including interactive maps, infographics, case studies and manuals.
• The Climate Council brings together a range of resources about weather and climate on their website.
• The World Meteorological Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations dedicated to understanding global weather and climate trends and coordinating international responses to climate. Their website provides access to a wide range of information and resources about weather and climate from across the globe.
• The Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water provides a range of information and resources on climate change, energy, environment, water, parks, heritage, science and research.

The Library’s collection contains historic and more recent weather and climate data as well as information about data collection and analysis. Reputable weather and climate data is also available online.

Felicity Jenkins, Meteorology weather forecaster Neville Martin releases the evening weather balloon which collects data of local atmospheric and weather conditions around Davis Station, Antarctica, 9 November 1997, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-144071646

The Library holds or provides access to a variety of material containing weather and climate data, including the Mariners Weather Log and the Monthly Weather Review.

For advice on how to access these materials, see Searching for weather and climate material (above).

Online data

Weather and climate data is available online from a number of reputable sources. You will find a selection of these listed below.

• The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) offers access to a range of statistics and observations online, including:

  • climate data
  • a weather station directory
  • FAQs on how to get data

  The BoM also makes available data about climate and weather extremes, spatial data, and data for tracking climate trends.

• The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) maintains a Data Access Portal where raw research data is made available (note that some data is locked behind a login). The portal allows data to be filtered by keyword and location. To search by subject area, choose the ‘Browse’ tab.
• Geoscience Australia has a wide range of data and publications available online.

The Library holds a variety of materials about Indigenous Australian weather and climate knowledge and related resources. There is also a range of reputable online resources about Indigenous Australians’ relationship to weather and climate. You will find a selection of these resources below.

Leigh Henningham, Protesters holding placards marching through the city streets during the School Strike 4 Climate rally, Melbourne, 21 May 2021, 6, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2956719729

Print resources

The Library’s print collection contains a range of material about Indigenous Australian weather and climate knowledge and land management practices. These materials include titles like Wulma, a text in the Burarra language of central coast Arnhem Land about the south east wind, Fire Country: How Indigenous Fire Management Could Save Australia, Rivers, the Veins of our Country, Sustainable Land Sector Development in Northern Australia and Landscapes or Our Hearts: Reconciling People and Environment. Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples: the Search for Legal Remedies considers climate and Indigenous peoples globally.

For advice on how to access these materials, see Searching for weather and climate material (above).

Non-print resources

The Library holds a variety of non-print material about Indigenous Australian weather and climate knowledge and related resources, including oral history interviews with Aden Ridgeway where he discusses his work with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and as the Executive Director of the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council as part of the Aboriginal leaders oral history project. Other material includes Walmajarrijarti Wangki Martuwarra Kadaji, a poster documenting Walmajarri knowledge of the seasons in the Fitzroy Valley, Western Australia, and a video interview with Kukuna Mona Chuguna from the same region.

For advice on how to access these materials, see Searching for weather and climate.

Online resources

• The Bureau of Meteorology’s interactive map of Indigenous Weather Knowledge was created in partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and Monash University’s Centre for Indigenous Studies. It contains detailed traditional weather, climate and seasonal knowledge from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
• The Torres Strait Regional Authority offers a range of online resources about weather and climate on their website, including environmental management and climate change and the Torres Strait.
• The Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) works in partnership with custodians of traditional knowledge in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to tell the human and environmental history of Australia. Their website offers a variety of content about the past, present and future of Australia’s climate and landscape.
• The Climate Council offers a range of resources about climate change, including information about a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s efforts to combat climate change.

Matthew Abbott, A kangaroo near a burning house, escaping the Currowan bushfire, Lake Conjola, New South Wales, 31 December, 2019, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2899709380

The Library’s collection includes a range of material related to extreme weather events in Australia’s history and recent past. There are also reputable resources about extreme weather and its triggers available online. A selection of these are listed below.

For advice on how to access these materials, see Searching for weather and climate materials (above).

Print resources

The Library’s print collection contains a range of material about extreme weather events, including Bushfire Safety, Batten Down the Hatches: Surviving and Rebuilding After a Cyclone and Australia’s Wild Weather. The National Library also holds print material related to specific extreme weather events, such as the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.

Non-print resources

The National Library’s non-print collection includes a variety of material about extreme weather, including a collection of photographs of the destruction caused by the Mackay cyclone, Queensland, January 1918, the Canberra bushfires 2003 oral history project, and flood inundation maps.

Online resources

• The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) provides a range of information about extreme weather events on their website, including information about drought, significant weather and weather patterns such as cyclones in the tropics in news & reports and extremes tables and maps in extremes and records. The BoM’s national weather services includes knowledge centres for flood, heatwave, drought, tropical cyclone and fire. See climate change for information about global trends.
• The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) offers information about extreme weather events on their website, including bushfires, floods, drought, cyclones, and planning for resilience in the face of these natural disasters.
• You can use Trove to search for information about extreme climate events in historic Australian newspapers.
• You can also find information about more recent extreme weather events via databases like NewsBank accessed through the Library’s eResources portal. The portal contains subscribed databases, most of which are accessible from home using your Library login. The Library’s collection also contains hardcopy Australian newspapers.

The Library’s Digital Classroom provides a range of educational resources, including a segment about Australia’s wild weird wonderful weather.

The catalogue subject headings also allow you to search for material suitable for children. Choose the subject heading ‘Juvenile’.