The "Flip" Side

Heavy swells

Pluvial period of the 1970s

Recovery 1915-17

Wet years in a dry decade

Western Australia to the rescue

Dam the Gordon

Rain and disease

Fewer frosts

Timely intervention

Similarly, many climate events in the 20th century have alleviated potentially serious situations. Both World Wars have happened to coincide with major Australian droughts (1914-15 with World War I; 1937-45 with World War II). Australia’s economy was at that time heavily dependent on rural exports, and was therefore badly hit at the very time resources were stretched to support the war efforts. But in both cases a potentially serious economic blow-outs were alleviated somewhat by opportune good seasons. Similarly, the effects of the 1982-83 drought would have been far worse but for an exceptionally good season in Western Australia. In addition, frosts have decreased in the second half of the century, with beneficial effects for agriculture.

Mixed blessings

In a related way, climate situations often have two “sides”, one damaging, the other beneficial. Excess rains may cause flooding, but can also fill the vast inland basin of Lake Eyre - leading to the strange sight of sea-birds congregating hundreds of kilometres from the sea. To take another example, heavy rain and flooding in 1998 caused the loss of the wheat crop in northwestern NSW, but the rains allowed normally marginal areas of western and central NSW to produce excellent yields. The area of productive grain-cropping was estimated to have extended some 80km further inland than usual. Excess rains may also lead to disease outbreaks (less so in Australia than many overseas countries), but have also assisted in the control of Australia’s endemic rabbit plagues. Not forgetting the capacity of the climate for irony. In those rare parts of Australia where our otherwise dry climate has enough rain to support rainforest and wild, rushing rivers, it sometimes happens that both commercial and conservation interests will stake conflicting claims to these areas. Finally, there are aspects of our climate that have relatively little impact, but are spectacular when they do occur, as in the enormous ocean swells that can affect coastal areas during otherwise settled weather conditions.

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