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Historic Australian Drought Worsens

Page history last edited by PBworks 15 years, 5 months ago

AUSTRALIA GRIPPED BY BIG DRY

 

Australia is in the grips of an unprecedented drought with rainfall

over the past three years the lowest on record in several states.

 

The Bureau of Meteorology reported to Daily Planet Media that the

southern part of the continent had never before experienced such a

severe and long drought.

 

The worst affected areas were the states of Victorian, southeast South

Australia, northern Tasmania and Western Australia.

 

Drought had gripped the Murray-Darling Basin since late 2001 and had

worsened this year with rainfall totals for the past three years

setting new record lows in many regions, including many critical to

the nation's primary water flow of the Murray River.

 

Weather records show that this historic drought is much hotter than

previous droughts which is believed to be the result of a change in

wind pattern due to global warming. Climate data suggest that for

every degree increase in warming there is a 15 per cent decline in

run-off water and river flow.

 

With temperatures 1C hotter than three previous big droughts since

1895 weather forecasters aren't prepared to predict when the current

drought might end as the southern States head into what's predicted to

be a hotter than usual summer.

 

Inflows into the Murray River system are running at record low levels

with water storages down by 28 per cent. Adding to the problem is that

that Melbourne, the nation's second biggest city, has just had its

driest September on record.

 

Similar extreme drying patterns have also occurred in southwest USA

and large parts of the Mediterranean where there have been substantial

rainfall declines.

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