Key Points
- Australia is the driest of all inhabited continents, periods of drought are common which bring hot weather and the risk of bushfires.
- There are many different climate zones across Australia, classified by variations in temperature and humidity, vegetation, and seasonal rainfall.
- Water is precious in Australia, with fragile ecosystems under threat from climate change, natural disasters, land clearing and other intensive human activities.
From the tropical north to the temperate south, Australia experiences many extreme weather conditions, including tropical cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and drought.
Our climate influences the diversity of ecosystems found across Australia, and with water being such a precious resource here, many of Australia’s ecosystems are fragile and susceptible to climate change, bushfires and drought, necessitating conservation efforts to preserve these delicate environments.
In the early 1900’s Australian poet penned her famous tribute My Country, which captured the beauty and desolation of this wide brown land.
“I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains…”
A description of Australia which holds true to this day according to Catherine Ganter, a senior climatologist at the Bureau of Meteorology.
“Australia is known as the land of drought and flooding rains. It can have years of drought, which bring hot weather, and increased fire risk. But it can then have months of heavy rainfall that lead to widespread flooding.”
The stark landscape of the Monaro Tablelands which is one of 19 ecosystems collapsing in Australia – Image Greening Australia. Credit: Annette Ruzicka
Extreme weather events
Ms Ganter says several factors can contribute to the extreme weather conditions that Australia can experience.
“ such as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole can increase our chance of experiencing some of these extremes. And climate change is also shifting our chances of extreme weather.”
Australia is half million square kilometres, Australia accounts for only five per cent of the world’s total land area.
Australian climate zones based on temperature and humidity – credit BOM.png
“Australia is a large mass of land, which extends from the warm tropical regions near the equator to the cooler mid-latitudes. Sunshine, weather patterns, rainfall, and topography are all very different across the country. And with this variation, there are many different climate zones across our country,” Ms Ganter says.
Variations in temperature and humidity, vegetation, and seasonal rainfall can classify these climate zones. Ms Ganter explains that Australia’s weather seasons vary in different parts of the country.
“This means for those in the northern hemisphere from North America, Europe and Asia, our seasons are the opposite. Southern Australia has summer, autumn, winter, and spring, with our summertime occurring in December to February. However, tropical northern Australia only has two seasons – the wet season during October to April, and the dry season during May to September.”
Lake Keepit in New South Wales – Image Wallula-Pixabay
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia have developed an intricate understanding of the environment and recognise different based on their geographic location in Australia, reflecting local changes in weather and nature.
Local variations in weather, temperature – and importantly, rainfall – influence the local climatic conditions experienced Ms Ganter says.
“Near to the equator, we have tropical northern Australia, which experiences lots of sunshine, heavy seasonal rainfall, and tropical cyclones. Across southern Australia, we have cooler continental weather, with a Mediterranean climate across the south-west that has hot dry summers. The east coast has a temperate climate, with no dry season and warm to hot summers. But overall, Australia is a very dry country, with much of inland Australia seeing little rainfall.”
Water availability and drought incidence impact agriculture, communities and the health of Australia’s environment.
“Water is precious in Australia, with over half of the country typically having less than 350 mm of rainfall a year. Drought is not simply low rainfall; if it was, much of inland Australia would be in almost perpetual drought.”
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world, and most of our environments are water-limited, but our biodiversity is finely tuned to manage this water balance.
Seasonal rainfall zones of Australia – credit BOM.
Dr Blair Parsons is the Director of Impact at , an organisation striving to create healthy and productive landscapes where people and nature thrive.
“While some parts of the country can experience flooding rains, water availability is a concern for many of our communities. In southwestern Australia –a global drying hotspot – rainfall has declined by more than 20 per cent since 1970, leading to a streamflow reduction of over 80 per cent,” Dr Parsons says.
With a diversity of ancient landscapes that have evolved over billions of years, Australia’s environment is currently experiencing a range of threats, Dr Parsons explains.
“Now, our unique and fragile ecosystems are under threat from climate change, natural disasters, land clearing and other intensive human activities. Nowhere is this more apparent than at one of our most iconic natural wonders – the Great Barrier Reef – which is at risk of disappearing by 2100 if we fail to take urgent action on climate change.”
Poor water quality is a key threat to the . Every year, millions of tonnes of sediment flow from eroding land onto the Reef, choking fish, seagrass and coral and reducing the Reef’s ability to recover from the impacts of climate change.
Coral on the Great Barrier Reef – Image Greening Australia
“Greening Australia is working with local landholders and First Nations Communities to rebuild eroding gullies and restore coastal wetlands, which act like the Reef’s kidneys by filtering water before it flows into the ocean. Since our started in 2016, we’ve prevented over 44 thousand tonnes of water pollutants from reaching the Reef and we’ve shown that by restoring gullies, we can reduce sediment run off from gullies by 90 per cent,” Dr Parsons explains.
Dr Parsons says Australia is home to roughly 10 per cent of the world’s biodiversity, much of it found nowhere else, yet it has one of the highest rates of species loss in the world.
“The latest rated the environment as in ‘poor or deteriorating health’ and described at least 19 of our ecosystems as showing signs of collapse. If we don’t take action now, we risk losing our precious natural species and ecosystems forever.”
Addressing the challenges of climate change and environmental conservation requires effort and change at a local, national and global level.
However, individuals can make a difference. In water conservation, for example, Dr Parsons says that we can all adapt our behaviours and landscapes to a drying climate amid the increasing likelihood of more frequent and severe droughts.
Catherine Ganter is a senior climatologist at the Bureau of Meteorology – Image BOM. Dr Blair Parsons is the Director of Impact at Greening Australia – Image Greening Australia.
“In urban areas, those with gardens can keep native, drought-tolerant plants to reduce watering needs and provide habitat for native animals. Watering gardens early in the morning or late afternoon also reduces water use by reducing evaporation. In rural areas, people can ‘rehydrate’ the landscape by restoring natural water flows using earthworks and planting of native vegetation.”
Extreme weather events in Australia can potentially be dangerous to people and infrastructure, so it is important to be prepared.
Being prepared for extreme weather
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