Long-Term Climate Variability in Australia

Variation in Australian Climate

Long-Term Global Climate Variations

Long-Term Temperature Variations in Australia

Long-Term Rainfall Variations in Australia

Other Climate Variations in Australia

Variation in Australian Climate

Australia's climate is always changing, it always has and always will.

Year to year changes are well known, many of which can be related to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon. However, the Australian climate also varies on longer time-scales, over decades and centuries. These variations are more subtle than yearly changes but can still have significant impacts on human life.

Australians are well accustomed to short-term variations in climate, such as a particularly hot summer or low annual rainfall. However, it is important to recognise that the climate also varies over longer time-scales.

For example, farming in some parts of Australia expanded into marginal agricultural areas during decades of good rainfall. However, many of these areas turned to dust bowls during the poor growing seasons associated with a downturn in the long-term rainfall cycle.

Climate patterns on time-scales longer than decades also influence life in Australia. Short-term climate variations are superimposed on long-term trends. Consequently, any background trends in the mean climate can change the intensity or frequency of extremes associated with the shorter-term variability. It is these extremes in climate that have the greatest impacts on human activities.