TWP Darwin Site

Location: 12° 25' 28.56" S, 130° 53' 29.75" E
Altitude: 29.9 meters

The third TWP climate research facility was established in April 2002 in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The facility is situated adjacent to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's (BOM) Meteorological Office near Darwin International Airport. Darwin was chosen because it meets the scientific goal of the ARM Program, providing a unique set of climate regimes that are not seen at the other TWP facilities. Annually, Darwin experiences three distinctive climate patterns: 1) a dry continental regime from May to September; 2) a wet, monsoonal season, which sometimes involves cyclones, from December to March; and 3) a transitional period between the other two.

Daily Operations

The operations of the Darwin facility are collaboration between BOM and Tropical Western Pacific Office (TWPO). A team of four BOM technicians provides the technical and logistical resources to support daily operations of the Darwin facility. The Darwin facility also serves as the technical support center for the other two TWP facilities in Manus and Nauru.