BAMOS February 2026
6 Article
Climate, extremes and collaboration: highlights from AMOS 2026
Melissa Lyne, University of New South Wales( m. lyne @ unsw. edu. au)
Australia’ s climate risks are intensifying and overlapping, which demands collaboration across science, government, industry and communities to understand and prepare for what lies ahead.
More than 400 scientists and related professionals from meteorology, oceanography, climate, glaciology, policy, industry, communication and other fields gathered in Nipaluna / Hobart for the 2026 AMOS conference in February. Researchers presented around 240 talks and 72 posters on everything from Antarctic sea ice to artificial intelligence( AI) in weather forecasting.
But beyond the science, this year’ s conference reflected an urgent need for coordination, computing power and collaboration on a national scale.
Read on for some key takeaways from the week. Heat: chronic, not occasional
A major theme across the week was the escalation of heatwaves in Australia.
New high-resolution modelling shows extreme heat events are becoming more frequent and lasting longer. Researchers discussed human heat stress limits, livestock vulnerability, and what future‘ net-zero’ emissions scenarios mean for Australian summers.
Even if global emissions stabilise, dangerous heat extremes will continue intensifying for decades because of how the climate system works – becoming a chronic public health and infrastructure risk.
Overlapping disasters the new normal
Another recurring theme was‘ compound extremes’ – events where hazards occur together, including heat + drought, wind + rain and cyclones + flooding.
These compound events cause disproportionate damage and place enormous strain on emergency services, on food production and on infrastructure. The planning systems are currently built around single hazards, not multiple interacting ones.
What happens in Antarctica doesn’ t stay in Antarctica
Antarctica featured prominently in keynote sessions and research presentations.
The research presented looked at record-low Antarctic sea ice levels and their potential links to global climate patterns – this included stronger El Niño events that can drive Australian drought and bushfire conditions.
The similarly‘ out of sight and out of mind’ Southern Ocean was highlighted as a critical engine of global climate regulation.
How will AI shape weather forecasting?
In a dedicated session on AI and machine learning, researchers compared AI models with traditional physics-based forecasting for cyclones, rainfall and extreme wind events.
While AI systems are improving speed and, in some cases, accuracy, the need for transparency, benchmarking and public trust remains important.
As Bureau of Meteorology CEO Dr Stuart Minchin noted during a panel discussion, AI presents both opportunities and limits.
Oceans feeling the heat
Marine heatwaves, coral bleaching and sea-level rise were also key issues in discussions.
Researchers presented new work on Australia’ s warming oceans, the impacts on reef systems, including the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo, as well as the risks to fisheries and coastal communities.
Marine heatwaves are the ocean’ s equivalent of bushfires – invisible to many, but ecologically just as devastating.
Science x industry
AMOS 2026 opened with the society’ s first Science – Industry Forum, bringing government, industry and researchers together to unpack how climate risk assessments are developed and used.
Panels explored co-design, decision-making under uncertainty, and how complex climate projections can be communicated to non-specialist audiences.
Participants described the day as a milestone – a sign that climate science is increasingly embedded in planning, finance and infrastructure decisions.
Indigenous leadership centre stage
A standout moment of the week was the First Nations plenary, which centred Indigenous voices, knowledge and leadership within climate science.
The session, followed by a dedicated Indigenous research discussion, reinforced the importance of partnerships grounded in respect and reciprocity.
Across the conference, speakers emphasised that climate resilience requires both scientific and Indigenous knowledge systems working together.
Call for national coordination
One of the most significant discussions of the week came during a high-profile plenary panel on Australia’ s climate science future.