Australia's capricious climate has tested its inhabitants for centuries. For a
colony of farmers, knowing what the weather might bring was a matter of great
moment. But the small band of colonial meteorologists were hampered until
telegraphed observations suddenly gave them the means to make rough predictions
about the coming weather.
The founding of the Bureau of Meteorology in 1907 brought a new rigour to the
work of meteorologists. Yet it remained a Cinderella organization until the
advent of regular air services in the 1930s doubled its size and boosted the
scope of its operations. The Bureau more than doubled again when it became a
vital part of the nation's defence effort in the Second World War.
Despite the important roles it played, the limits of the science, rudimentary
technology and budgetary restrictions combined to make the Bureau regular object
of derision. That gradually changed as the introduction of radar, satellites and
computers, and the growing understanding of meteorological science, allowed the
Bureau to make confident weather predictions several days in advance and even of
the climate for coming seasons.
Today the Bureau of Meteorology operates the most popular government website,
providing real-time radar and satellite data, as well as forecasts and warnings
of events, from cyclones and bushfires to floods and droughts. It also has one
of the nation's most advanced computers, gathering data on a global scale and
running numerical models of the earth-atmosphere-ocean system to produce daily
forecasts and research into the complex issue of climate change.
Part institutional history, part drama and part natural history, 'The
Weather Watchers' is a gripping story of the Bureau of Meteorology, and
the significant and often colourful figures who have been part of the Bureau
since its inception 100 years ago.
Contents:
Foreword
Preface
List of Abbreviations
Some Milestones in Australian Meteorology
1. 1788-1890: 'horror and desolation ... on every side'
2. 1890-1900: 'a task never before attempted'
3. 1901-1904: 'a blot on federation'
4. 1905-1908: 'disabilities, difficulties, and delays'
5. 1908-1910: 'a record for any weather prophet'
6. 1910-1914: 'never willingly look a Sea Elephant in the face'
7. 1914-1919: 'the fates conspire to disappoint me'
8. 1920-1924: 'sick of the stagnant 'Weather Bureau'
9. 1924-1929: 'Cinderella of the sciences'
10. 1930-1936: 'an honest endeavour to meet our obligations'
11. 1937-1939: 'what a job this is'
12. 1939-1941: 'no longer public servants'
13. 1941-1942: 'business has been brisker than ever'
14. 1942-1944: 'a continual strain'
15. 1945-1946: 'clash of personalities'
16. 1947-1950: 'staff shortages will be unavoidable'
17. 1951-1956: 'a most embarrassing position'
18. 1956-1962: 'no meteorological man wants a halo'
19. 1962-1968: 'the Bureau is now big business'
20. 1968-1974: 'a new era of public service'
21. 1974-1980: 'under the table like a lion-tamer'
22. 1981-1990: 'into the age of Hawke'
23. 1981-1996: 'lean and mean'
24. 1996-2007: 'the very special family'
Appendices
Image Sources
Notes
Bibliography
Index
