Climatologist Career Profile

What the role involves

Climatologists analyse climate records, investigate long-term trends, prepare climate summaries, support modelling or interpret climate information for planning, risk, agriculture, water and environmental management.

The work may involve data analysis, modelling, mapping, research, report writing and communication with policy makers, planners, scientists, engineers or emergency management teams.

Typical employers

Climatologist roles in Australia may be found with:

• meteorological and climate agencies
• universities and research institutes
• state and federal government departments
• water, agriculture and natural resource organisations
• climate services and consulting firms
• insurance, infrastructure and risk teams
• emergency management and resilience programs

Key tasks

• analysing long-term climate and weather datasets
• investigating climate trends, extremes and variability
• preparing climate summaries, maps and technical reports
• supporting climate risk, adaptation or hazard assessments
• using statistical, modelling or GIS tools
• communicating climate information to decision-makers
• collaborating with hydrologists, planners, ecologists and engineers
• contributing to research, policy or resilience projects

Skills and qualities

Climatologist work suits people with a mix of practical, technical and communication skills. Useful skills and qualities include:

• strong data analysis and statistics skills
• understanding of meteorology, climate systems and earth science
• GIS, modelling or coding skills
• careful interpretation of uncertainty and trends
• clear written and verbal communication
• attention to evidence and data quality
• ability to translate technical information for practical decisions
• interest in weather, climate, hazards and environmental systems

Qualifications and pathways

Climatologist roles generally require university study in climate science, meteorology, atmospheric science, geography, environmental science, earth science, physics or mathematics.

• Bachelor degree in climate science, meteorology, atmospheric science, geography, environmental science or earth science
• Postgraduate study for research, modelling or specialist government roles
• Training in statistics, GIS, coding, climate data platforms or modelling
• Experience in climate risk, water, agriculture, hazards, environmental planning or research may be useful

Climatologists may progress into senior climate scientist, climate risk adviser, meteorologist, climate services specialist, adaptation planner, research scientist or climate program manager roles.

Salary and job outlook

Climatologist salaries vary depending on whether the role is in government, research, consulting, water, agriculture, insurance, infrastructure or climate services. Specialist modelling, data analysis and advisory skills can support higher-level roles.

Where jobs are usually found in Australia

Climatologist roles are usually found in capital cities, research centres, government agencies, consultancies, water organisations and climate services teams, with work often supporting regional climate risk, water planning, agriculture, hazards and environmental management.

Tips for getting started

• develop strong statistics, coding and data visualisation skills
• learn to work with long-term climate datasets
• build GIS and spatial analysis capability
• follow Australian climate data and climate services sources
• practise communicating uncertainty clearly to non-technical audiences

Related environmental careers

• Climate Change Scientist
• Meteorologist
• Climate Risk Analyst
• Climate Change Adaptation Officer
• Hydrologist
• Environmental Scientist
• Water Policy Officer
• Bushfire Resilience Officer / Natural Hazards Officer