Neville,
1. Weather variability is increasing along with intensification of the hydrological cycle (evaporation/precipitation) consequent on rising ocean tempratures.
2. Climate zones are shifting, i.e. the arid zone/high pressure ridge are shifting south in western and southern Australia, while the tropical/cyclon belt is shifting southward along the Eastern Australian coastal zone.
Which complicates weather preldictions, as in Andrew Watson’s article:
Dr Andrew Glikson Earth and paleoclimate science Australian National University Canberra, ACT 0200 andrew.glikson@anu.edu.au geospec@iinet.net.au P.O. Box 3698 Weston, A.C.T. 2611
—– Original Message —–
“Neville Gillmore”
“Andrew Glikson” <Geospec@iinet.net.au
Thu, 1 Mar 2012 09:14:19 +1100
Severe Weather prevalence of events
Hi Andrew
With reference to the weather patterns we are seeing.
The current heavy rainfall we are receiving in Eastern Australia cannot be
described as once in a century events. Western Australia is experiencing
heatwaves and bushfires.
Our Eastern Coastline, where a large percentage of our population prefer
to live, is suffering erosion and in some areas inundation from sea events
also being described as once in a century events.
Globally we have seen a big freeze in Europe, killing hundreds of people.
Now we hear that parts of the US and UK are going into drought conditions.
Yet deniers are not recogniising these events are not part of normal weather
patterns.
In Western Sydney the NSW Govt. is developing land for housing estates,
which with the population rise are necessary
However Hydrologists believe that paving over former agricultural land has
it’s problems in respect to natural water flows, which could lead to low level
flooding.With the current heavy rainfall we are seeing communities evacuated
and areas in Western NSW receiving their annual rainfall in one day.
Where I live in Leura we have seen summers becoming hotter with Sydney
temperatures at 1000 metres and winters far warmer. We used to get occasional
snowfalls, I have seen 2 foot falls on the upper mountains. It is very rare now
to see significant snowfalls in this area.
Can you please outline your professional take on the reasons we are seeing such
fluctuations in weather patterns in Australia and are they likely to become regarded
as our future weather patterns. Since the current fronts are said to emanating from
the south, they are not likely to attributed to monsoonal activity, which we see in
Northern Australia.
Regards
Neville Gillmore
Climate change Activist