About ClimateWatch
ClimateWatch was developed by Earthwatch with the Bureau of Meteorology and The University of Melbourne to understand how changes in temperature and rainfall are affecting the seasonal behaviour of plants and animals. The first continental phenology project in the Southern Hemisphere, ClimateWatch enables everyone to be involved in collecting and recording data that will help shape our response to climate change.
Timing is everything
Climate change is affecting rainfall and temperature across Australia, and is consequently triggering changes in the established flowering times, breeding cycles and migration movements and other phenological changes. Essentially ClimateWatch is based on phenology, the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate.
Indicator Species
An indicator species is an organism whose presence, absence, or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition. Species have been selected based on the advice of our Science Advisory Panel. Our list includes both native and introduced species that meet our four essential selection criteria. In addition to meeting our essential criteria, species have also been selected as they meet optional criteria, i.e. indigenous.
