A perspective of research into cold fronts and associated mesoscale phenomena in Australia into the 1980s

Studies in the northern hemisphere have highlighted the mesoscale characteristics of fronts and the importance of the mesoscale in formulating short-term forecasts of less than 12 hours. In the southern hemisphere, satellite meteorology has provided new tools that are able to probe the mesoscale phenomena, and the introduction of interactive computer systems is likely to enhance these facilities both operationally and as research tools. Research into cold fronts and associated mesoscale phenomena in Australia since 1978 has included an observational and theoretical study of the southerly buster, a case study of the application of GMS imagery over extratropical Australia to determine the advantage of frequent imagery, and the development of a nested movable fine mesh numerical model that is capable of resolving mesoscale phenomena. In 1980 -81 Phases I and II of the Cold Fronts Research Programme took place at Mount Gambier in South Australia. The special data sets from Phases 1 and II have stimulated research into the mesoscale aspects of fronts and into the understanding of the interaction of mesoscale processes with synoptic-scale processes. An important feature of the Cold Fronts Research Programme is that it has focused the resources of the Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO and several universities on a single meteorological problem.