The Climate & Fluid Physics Laboratory opened in 2000 as the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, focussed on modelling and understanding the motions of fluids on and within Earth. Processes of interest included mantle convection and its implications for plate tectonics, magmatic and volcanic dynamics such as the flow of melts in and on Earth’s crust, and the balances governing large-scale ocean circulations. These phenomena are connected by their dominant fluid dynamics including mixing, density-stratified flows, convection, and the flows associated with melting and solidification.

The initial laboratory leadership consisted of Emeritus Professor Stewart Turner and Emeritus Professor Ross Griffiths, two world-leading experimental fluid dynamists whose wide range of research interests and approaches have guided the activities and science of their research group. The continuing ANU academic staff involved in the laboratory comprises of:
–Dr Callum Shakespeare (ANU),
–Dr Ross Kerr (retired),
–Professor Andy Hogg (ACCESS-NRI & ANU),
–Emeritus Professor Michael Roderick (retired),
–Emeritus Professor Ian Campbell (retired).

The nature of the experiments conducted in the laboratory are typically highly-specialised and requiring great precision, and only made possible by the expertise and ingenuity of dedicated, experienced, and skilled technicians. The success of the laboratory is entirely dependent on its technical support. Over the years, the laboratory has benefitted greatly from the hard work and technical expertise of Derek Corrigan (retired), Ross Wylde-Brown (retired), Anthony Beasley (retired), Ben Tranter (retired), Peter Lanc (ANU), Angus Rummery (ANU), plus many others.

Since its opening in 2000, many researchers have enjoyed the pleasure of pursuing their scientific interests in the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, including,
–Professor Graham Hughes (Imperial College London),
–Associate Professor Yvan Dossmann (University of Lorraine),
–Professor Wouter Schellart (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam),
–Professor John Lister (University of Cambridge),
–Professor Chris Kincaid (University of Rhode Island),
–Dr Kial Stewart (ANU),
–Dr Kelsey Druken (ACCESS-NRI).

A growing list of PhD students have developed and run fluid dynamics experiments in the laboratory, including,
–Professor Mark Jellinek (University of British Columbia),
–Dr Andrew Kiss (ANU),
–Dr Lynn Bloomfield (APS),
–Professor Mathew Wells (University of Toronto),
–Dr David Osmond (WindLab Systems),
–Associate Professor Julia Mullarney (University of Waikato),
–Dr Aaron Lyman (Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, NZ),
–Professor Tjipto Prastowo (Universitas Negeri Surabaya),
–Dr Melissa Coman (IP Australia),
–Dr Melanie O’Byrne (IP Australia),
–Dr Jesse Robertson (CSIRO),
–Dr Kial Stewart (ANU),
–Dr Catherine Vreugdenhil (University of Melbourne),
–Dr Craig McConnochie (University of Canterbury),
–Mr Jim Sweetman (ANU, current).

In 2023, the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory was renamed the Climate & Fluid Physics Laboratory. This changes reflects the research interests and motivations of the laboratory group; all our experiments are designed to investigate specific aspects of Earth’s climate, from the largescale planetary dynamics of the ocean and atmosphere, to the processes governing the circulations at the ice-ocean interfaces, and the fundamental thermodynamics of evaporation. Of particular interest are climate processes that are difficult to observe in the field, or not feasible to examine using alternative approaches like numerical simulations.