CSIRO's contribution "has been incredibly important" and was "essential to ensure the continuation of high-quality services, particularly in remote regions of the Southern Hemisphere", the letter by Erland Kallen, dated April 16, 2015, said. Australia gets access to the best international climate and weather data in return for providing calibrating and validating work that is now at risk. Credit:Bureau of Meteorology "I would like to express on behalf of ECMWF my full support for Aerospan," Professor Kallen wrote. The Aerospan group runs eight automated monitoring sites around Australia, with the first starting almost 20 years ago. Fairfax Media understands that the Aerospan program - of just two staff - has been earmarked for closure or off-loading to another Australian agency despite the internationals appeals for the research to be maintained. Labor and the Greens leapt on Professor Kallen's letter as further evidence that CSIRO has been planning to run down Australia's climate science program for at least a year.

The letter follows Fairfax Media's reporting on Wednesday of a letter from a senior NASA scientist warning of the negative impact on international climate monitoring if CSIRO reduced its Aerospan research. The humble automated AeroSpan monitoring stations that CSIRO is looking to shut down. Credit:CSIRO The program helps validate global satellite data for NASA and the European Space Agency, adjusting them on the basis of aerosol detection and analysis, at an annual cost of less than $500,000. In return, Australia gets access to their data, aiding agriculture, weather monitoring and other industries. Predicting extreme weather events may be more difficult if Australia cuts back on its aerosol monitoring efforts, scientists say. Credit:Joe Armao

Critical role of aerosols Aerosol monitoring is seen as critical by scientists trying to predict how the planet will warm. Aerosols vary from dust to industrial pollution and even sea salt, and predicting how their distribution will change is the largest single variable in climate models, scientists say. While less famous than NASA, ECMWF is regarded as one of the foremost forecasting agencies in the world. The Bureau of Meteorology uses a range of their models and research. Fairfax Media sought comment from CSIRO, Science Minister Christopher Pyne and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Kim Carr, Labor's shadow science minister, laid the blame at the PM's door.

"Domestically, these are not the actions of a Prime Minster who truly does champion innovation – cutting the CSIRO is cutting at the very heart of our innovation system," Senator Carr said. "As a result of this government's inaction we are seeing the CSIRO trashing its international reputation and relationships." One government source, though, defended the PM, saying the government had intervened last month to ensure CSIRO would set up a new Climate Science Centre for 40 researchers, backed by 10-year funding to give it stability. The source said that the government continued to "watch closely" how CSIRO's management proceeded. Australia was threatening to exit a program that helps calibrate and validate global satellite data for NASA, the European Space Agency at an annual budget of less than $500,000. In return, Australia gets "unfettered" access, as one scientist put it, to their data, aiding agriculture, weather monitoring and many other industries.

Adam Bandt, Greens science spokesman said "the competence and motivation of CSIRO management has been called into question". "The Liberal government handpicked CSIRO management and it's time Christopher Pyne and Malcolm Turnbull took responsibility," he said. "Australia was put on notice over a year ago that CSIRO's work is vital to the global scientific endeavour yet the government continues to approve of this carnage in climate science." Concerns remain Professor Kallen told Fairfax Media on Friday that, as director of research and a deputy director of the centre, he was in the position to speak on its behalf.