<
https://theconversation.com/flash-droughts-are-becoming-more-common-in-australia-whats-causing-them-227052>
"Flash droughts strike suddenly and intensify rapidly. Often the affected areas
are in drought after just weeks or a couple of months of well-below-average
rainfall. They happen worldwide and are becoming more common, including in
Australia, due to global warming.
Flash droughts can occur anywhere and at any time of the year. Last year, a
flash drought hit the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales, roughly 300
kilometres north-west of Sydney.
These sudden droughts can have devastating economic, social and environmental
impacts. The damage is particularly severe for agricultural regions heavily
dependent on reliable rain in river catchments. One such region is the Upper
Hunter Valley, the subject of our new research.
We identified two climate drivers – the El Niño Southern Oscillation and Indian
Ocean Dipole) – that became influential during this drought. In addition, the
waning influence of a third climate driver, the Southern Annular Mode), would
typically bring rain to the east coast. However, this rain did not reach the
Upper Hunter.
Flash droughts are set to get more common as the world heats up. This year, a
flash drought developed over western and central Victoria over just two months.
While heavy rain this month in Melbourne ended the drought there, it continues
in the west."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
