Long Term Rain Needed to End Aussie Drought
An increase in rains along our eastern seaboard has eased the Australian drought over the past few months, however the Bureau of Meteorology has announced that steady rain for several years is needed before the drought finally breaks.
There are varying degrees of drought stricken country in Australia, due to two varieties of drought. The majority of the north and bits of the west have suffered from drought for almost two decades now, with agriculture suffering catastrophic losses.
In the 21st century a second drought, lesser in degree, but no less frustrating, has struck the eastern seaboard.
Together these two droughts have not eased due to a weather anomaly in the Indian Ocean counteracting the Pacific Ocean’s El Nino and El Nina effects. However this year has seen an uptick in the rainfall, bringing hope to the entire country.
The bureau said however on Friday in its monthly drought statement that despite these rains, the drought was far from over, and had in fact intensified in the outback.
“Several years of above average rainfall are required to remove the very long-term (water) deficits,” said the bureau. “The combination of record heat and widespread drought during the past five to 10 years over large parts of southern and eastern Australia is without historical precedent and is, at least partly, a result of climate change.”
Australia has always been a tough land to live on, that’s why we were sent here in the first place. Western Australia has seen enough rain that wheat growers are able to plant their next crop. But the eastern states have yet to receive these rains.
A dry April has intensified the drought in central Australia, and deficiencies in long-term and two-year rainfall levels had increased in the majority of Australia, barring the southwest corner.
For the full report, and further information on the inconsistencies in Australian weather, click here.
Image Courtesy of suburbanbloke via Flickr
