DOCSLIB.ORG

Climate Change and the South Australia Bushfire Threat

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Climate Change and the South Australia Bushfire Threat BE PREPARED: CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE SOUTH AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE THREAT The Climate Council is an independent, crowd-funded organisation providing quality information on climate change to the Australian public. CLIMATECOUNCIL.ORG.AU Authorship: Professor Lesley Hughes Published by the Climate Council of Australia Limited ISBN: 978-0-9941866-1-4 (print) 978-0-9941866-0-7 (web) © Climate Council of Australia Ltd 2014 This work is copyright the Climate Council of Australia Ltd. All material contained in this work is copyright the Climate Council of Australia Ltd except where a third party source is indicated. Climate Council of Australia Ltd copyright material is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License. To view a copy of this license visit http://creativecommons.org.au You are free to copy, communicate and adapt the Climate Council of Australia Ltd copyright material so long as you attribute the Climate Council of Australia Ltd and the authors in the following manner: Be Prepared: climate change and the South Australia bushfire threat by Professor Lesley Hughes (Climate Council of Australia). © Climate Council of Australia Limited 2014. Permission to use third party copyright content in this publication can be sought from the relevant third party copyright owner/s. This report is printed on 100% recycled paper. Professor Lesley Hughes Climate Councillor Introduction Residents of South Australia have We first describe the background experienced the serious consequences context of fire and its history in South of bushfires. In 2005 the Black Tuesday Australia. We then outline the link bushfires on the Eyre Peninsula between bushfires and climate change, resulted in the tragic loss of nine lives before considering how bushfire danger and estimated damages of $41 million weather is increasing in South Australia (2011$). At the beginning of 2014 several and what this means for the immediate bushfires raged across the state, burning future. We explore the impacts of fire tens of thousands of hectares of land, on people, property, water supply and destroying properties and injuring biodiversity, before considering the firefighters and residents. future influence of climate change on bushfires, and the implications for South Australians have always lived with Australian fire managers, planners and fire and its consequences, but climate emergency services. change is increasing fire danger weather and thus the risk of fires. It is time to think very seriously about the risks that future fires will pose. CLIMATECOUNCIL.ORG.AU Page 1 BE PREPARED: CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE SOUTH AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE THREAT Key Findings 1. Climate change is already › The fire season will continue to increasing the risk of lengthen into the future, straining bushfires in South Australia. South Australia’s existing resources for fighting and managing fires. › Extreme fire weather has increased over the last 30 years in South 3. Recent severe fires in Australia. South Australia have been influenced by record hot, › Australia is a fire prone country dry conditions. and South Australia has always experienced bushfires. Today › Record breaking heat and hotter climate change is making hot weather over the long term in days hotter, and heatwaves South Australia has worsened longer and more frequent, with fire weather and contributed to increasing drought conditions in an increase in the frequency and Australia’s southeast. The hotter, severity of bushfires. drier conditions are increasing the › In January 2005, temperatures of risk of high fire danger weather in over 40°C contributed to severe South Australia. bushfires on the Eyre Peninsula, › 2013 was South Australia’s hottest which resulted in the tragic loss of year on record and in Adelaide the nine lives and estimated damages average intensity of heatwaves of $41 million (2011$). has increased by 2.5°C. These 4. The total economic costs of conditions are driving up the the South Australian bushfires likelihood of very high fire danger in 2014 are projected to be weather in the state. $44 million. By around the 2. The fire season in South middle of the century these Australia is starting earlier cost will almost double. and lasting longer. Fire › Bushfires cause significant weather has been extending economic damage, estimated at into Spring and Autumn. $337 million per year (2011$) in › This year, the bushfire season Australia. With a forecast growth will start early in seven of fifteen in costs of 2.2% annually between districts in South Australia. These 2014 and 2050, the total economic districts include the Eastern Eyre cost of bushfires is expected to Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, the reach $800 million annually by Lower South East, the Mount Lofty mid-century. In South Australia Ranges, the North East Pastoral, bushfires are projected to cost Riverland and the West Coast. $44 million in 2014 (2011$). Page 2 CLIMATECOUNCIL.ORG.AU › These state and national › Increased resources for our projections do not incorporate emergency services and fire increased bushfire incident rates management agencies will be due to climate change and could required as fire risk increases. By potentially be much higher. 2030, it has been estimated that the 5. In the future, South Australia number of professional firefighters in is very likely to experience Australia will need to approximately an increased number of days double (compared to 2010) to keep with extreme fire danger. pace with increased population, asset Communities, emergency value, and fire danger weather. services and health services 6. This is the critical decade across South Australia must › Australia must strive to cut emissions prepare. rapidly and deeply to join global › Fire severity and intensity is efforts to stabilise the world’s climate expected to increase substantially and to reduce the risk of even more in coming decades, especially extreme events, including bushfires. in those regions currently most affected by bushfires, and where a substantial proportion of the Australian population lives, such as South Australia. CLIMATECOUNCIL.ORG.AU Page 3 BE PREPARED: CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE SOUTH AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE THREAT 1. The nature of bushfires Fire has been a feature of the Australian 75 and 100 considered ‘extreme’. The environment for at least 65 million years unprecedented ferocity of the 2009 Black (Cary et al. 2012). Human management of Saturday bushfires in Victoria saw a new fires also has a long history, starting with ‘catastrophic’ category added to the FFDI fire use by indigenous Australians (“fire- for events exceeding the existing scale. stick farming”) up to 60,000 years ago. The concept of “fire regimes” is Between 3% and 10% of Australia’s land important for understanding the area burns every year (Western Australian nature of bushfires in Australia, and Land Information Authority 2013). for assessing changes in fire behaviour In Australia, the Forest Fire Danger caused by both human and climatic Index (FFDI) is used to measure the factors (Figure 2). A fire regime describes degree of risk of fire in our forests a recurrent pattern of fire, with the most (Luke and Macarthur 1978). The important characteristics being the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and fire frequency, intensity, and seasonality management agencies use the FFDI of the fire. Significant changes in any to assess fire risk and issue warnings. of these features of a fire regime can The index was originally designed on a have a very important influence on scale from 0 to 100, with fires between its ecological and economic impacts (Williams et al. 2009). Figure 1: A Firefighter at work in South Australia Page 4 CLIMATECOUNCIL.ORG.AU 01 THE NATURE OF BUSHFIRES IN AUSTRALIA Figure 4. Main factors aecting bushfires 3 | People Main factors Fires may be deliberately started (arson) or be started by accident (e.g. by powerline fault). Human aecting activities can also reduce fire, either by direct suppression or by reducing fuel load by bushfires prescribed burning 1 | Ignition Fires can be started by lightning or people, either deliberately or accidentally 2 | Fuel Fires need fuel of sucient quantity & dryness. A wet year creates favourable conditions for vegetation growth. If 4 | Weather this is followed by a dry Fires are more likely to spread on hot, dry, season or year, fires are windy days. Hot weather also dries out fuel, more likely to spread and favouring fire spread and intensity become intense Figure 2: Main Factors Affecting Bushfires CLIMATECOUNCIL.ORG.AU Page 6 Fire is a complex process that is very of weather that affect fire and fuels are variable in space and time. A fire needs to temperature, precipitation, wind and be started (ignition), it needs something humidity. Once a fire is ignited, very to burn (fuel) and it needs conditions hot days with low humidity and high that are conducive to its spread (weather winds are conducive to its spread. The and topography) (see Figure 2). Fire type, amount, and moisture level of fuel activity is strongly influenced by available are also critical determinants weather, fuel, terrain, ignition agents of fire behaviour, extent and intensity. and people. The most important aspects The relationship between rainfall and CLIMATECOUNCIL.ORG.AU Page 5 BE PREPARED: CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE SOUTH AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE THREAT fuel is complex. Wet seasons can lead about every 5 to 30 years, with spring to increased plant growth and therefore and summer being peak fire season increase fuel buildup in the months or (Clarke et al. 2011; Bradstock et al. 2012). years before a fire is ignited (Bradstock People are also a very important et al. 2009). Warmer temperatures and component of the fire equation. low rainfall in the period immediately Many fires are either deliberately or preceding an ignition, however, can lead accidentally lit, and in places where to drier vegetation and soil, making the population density is high, the existing fuel more flammable.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Nature of Northern Australia
    THE NATURE OF NORTHERN AUSTRALIA Natural values, ecological processes and future prospects 1 (Inside cover) Lotus Flowers, Blue Lagoon, Lakefield National Park, Cape York Peninsula. Photo by Kerry Trapnell 2 Northern Quoll. Photo by Lochman Transparencies 3 Sammy Walker, elder of Tirralintji, Kimberley. Photo by Sarah Legge 2 3 4 Recreational fisherman with 4 barramundi, Gulf Country. Photo by Larissa Cordner 5 Tourists in Zebidee Springs, Kimberley. Photo by Barry Traill 5 6 Dr Tommy George, Laura, 6 7 Cape York Peninsula. Photo by Kerry Trapnell 7 Cattle mustering, Mornington Station, Kimberley. Photo by Alex Dudley ii THE NATURE OF NORTHERN AUSTRALIA Natural values, ecological processes and future prospects AUTHORS John Woinarski, Brendan Mackey, Henry Nix & Barry Traill PROJECT COORDINATED BY Larelle McMillan & Barry Traill iii Published by ANU E Press Design by Oblong + Sons Pty Ltd The Australian National University 07 3254 2586 Canberra ACT 0200, Australia www.oblong.net.au Email: [email protected] Web: http://epress.anu.edu.au Printed by Printpoint using an environmentally Online version available at: http://epress. friendly waterless printing process, anu.edu.au/nature_na_citation.html eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and saving precious water supplies. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry This book has been printed on ecoStar 300gsm and 9Lives 80 Silk 115gsm The nature of Northern Australia: paper using soy-based inks. it’s natural values, ecological processes and future prospects. EcoStar is an environmentally responsible 100% recycled paper made from 100% ISBN 9781921313301 (pbk.) post-consumer waste that is FSC (Forest ISBN 9781921313318 (online) Stewardship Council) CoC (Chain of Custody) certified and bleached chlorine free (PCF).
    [Show full text]
  • Adelaide Coastal Waters Information Sheet No. 3
    Adelaide Coastal Waters Information Sheet No. 3 Changes in urban environments Issued August 2009 EPA 769/09: This information sheet is part of a series of Fact Sheets on the Adelaide coastal waters and the findings of the Adelaide Coastal Waters Study (ACWS). Introduction Since European settlement in the 1830s, the Adelaide plains and Adelaide’s coastal environment have been subject to considerable change and pressure from a continually increasing population. In recent years there has been growing community concern about the effects of coastal and catchment development on the marine environment. Increases in stormwater flows and waste from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have also been of concern. Nutrients and other pollutants introduced to Adelaide’s nearshore waters from urban and rural runoff, WWTPs and some industrial sources have been found by the Adelaide Coastal Waters Study (ACWS) to have had a negative impact on Adelaide’s nearshore marine environment, including the loss of over 5,000 hectares of seagrass. Historical catchment changes When Adelaide was selected by Colonel William Light for South Australia’s state capital in 1836 there was a wide belt of coastal dunes and wide sandy beaches stretching to the north and south of Glenelg. From Seacliff to Outer Harbor there was a 30 km stretch of sand dunes broken only by the Patawalonga Creek at Glenelg. The Torrens River flowed into a series of swamps lying behind the coastal dunes and drained both north and south to the sea through the Patawalonga Creek and Port River system. The stretch of sand dunes comprised two or more parallel ridges each about 70 to 100 metres wide separated by narrow depressions or swales, consequently very little surface catchment runoff would have reached the coastline.
    [Show full text]
  • Inbound Flights Into Adelaide Sydney to Adelaide
    INBOUND FLIGHTS INTO ADELAIDE SYDNEY TO ADELAIDE DATE AIRLINE FLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE CITY DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL CITY ARRIVAL TIME 11 FEB 2018 JETSTAR JQ762 SYDNEY 0700 ADELAIDE 0835 11 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF1555 SYDNEY 0815 ADELAIDE 0955 11 FEB 2018 VIRGIN VA412 SYDNEY 0840 ADELAIDE 1020 11 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF741 SYDNEY 1045 ADELAIDE 1220 11 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF751 SYDNEY 1235 ADELAIDE 1410 11 FEB 2018 VIRGIN VA418 SYDNEY 1240 ADELAIDE 1420 11 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF759 SYDNEY 1355 ADELAIDE 1530 11 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF761 SYDNEY 1510 ADELAIDE 1645 11 FEB 2018 JETSTAR JQ764 SYDNEY 1530 ADELAIDE 1705 11 FEB 2018 VIRGIN VA428 SYDNEY 1610 ADELAIDE 1750 11 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF765 SYDNEY 1640 ADELAIDE 1815 11 FEB 2018 JETSTAR JQ768 SYDNEY 1725 ADELAIDE 1900 11 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF743 SYDNEY 1815 ADELAIDE 1950 11 FEB 2018 VIRGIN VA436 SYDNEY 1815 ADELAIDE 1955 11 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF783 SYDNEY 1955 ADELAIDE 2130 11 FEB 2018 JETSTAR JQ770 SYDNEY 2015 ADELAIDE 2150 11 FEB 2018 VIRGIN VA444 SYDNEY 2015 ADELAIDE 2155 11 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF785 SYDNEY 2035 ADELAIDE 2210 DATE AIRLINE FLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE CITY DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL CITY ARRIVAL TIME 12 FEB 2018 VIRGIN VA403 SYDNEY 0645 ADELAIDE 0825 12 FEB 2018 JETSTAR JQ762 SYDNEY 0700 ADELAIDE 0835 12 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF735 SYDNEY 0705 ADELAIDE 0840 12 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF739 SYDNEY 0820 ADELAIDE 0955 12 FEB 2018 VIRGIN VA412 SYDNEY 0840 ADELAIDE 1020 12 FEB 2018 JETSTAR JQ766 SYDNEY 1025 ADELAIDE 1200 12 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF741 SYDNEY 1045 ADELAIDE 1220 12 FEB 2018 QANTAS QF1557 SYDNEY 1130 ADELAIDE 1310 For any queries
    [Show full text]
  • Causes of Bushfire Is Australia – a Response
    Causes of bushfire is Australia – A response Colleen Bryant ©2020 Preamble A recent video shared on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=837989649986602) is symbolic of a broader meme that has emerged in political, media, and social media circles regarding the role of arson in the current bushfire season. The above clip states that: “The popular narrative is that Australia’s fires are caused by climate change but the facts say otherwise”. It goes onto say that “since November 8, 2019 nearly 200 arsonists have been arrested for starting brush fires in Australia”. It then forwards “the arsonists were responsible for about 50% of the brushfires1”, before concluding that it is not climate change but arsonists that are responsible for Australia recent bushfires. The above statistic of 50% reportedly derives from an article published in “The Australian” newspaper (Ross & Reid, 2020) which states “Swinbourne University Professor James Ogloff said about 50 per cent of bushfire were lit by firebugs and impending seasons excited them.” The figure he quoted reportedly came from a study a fire statistics released 12 years ago, which would imply that that the professor was not speaking about the 2019‐20 season specifically. Articles similarly highlighting the role of arson have emerged in the Spectator (Chrenkoff, 2020) and Sydney Morning Herald (Rawsthorne, 2020). However, the above narrative is countered by a recent article published by Nguyen et al. (2020) for the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission), which examined the cause of many of the large fires on a state‐by‐state basis. Ultimately they concluded that deliberate fire‐setting did not play a significant role in the recent bushfires in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, or even Queensland.
    [Show full text]
  • Environment Testing Visitor Information for Wollongong Office
    Eurofins | Environment Testing Visitor Information for Wollongong Office Address - Eurofins | Environment Testing, Unit 16, 7 Investigator Drive, Unanderra, NSW 2526 Directions - Our Wollongong office is conveniently located in Unanderra’s Commercial precinct, at number Unit 16/7 Investigator Drive. - If approaching from M1 Princes Motorway/Princes Highway, take the Five Islands Rd exit towards Unanderra/Port Kembla. Turn left onto Five Islands Rd and at the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Glastonbury Ave. In about 900m turn right onto Berkley Rd. At the end of Berkley Rd turn left onto Investigator Dr. - Our office is roughly 200m on the left from the turn. = Eurofins | Environment Testing Eurofins Environment Testing Laboratories Wollongong Office Offices : Melbourne Unit 16, 7 Investigator Drive Adelaide Sydney Unanderra, NSW 2526 Darwin Brisbane Australia Newcastle Perth ABN: 50 005 085 521 Wollongong QS1081_R0 +61 2 9900 8492 Parking - There are 3 car spaces directly in front of the building, if the spaces are all occupied there is also on street parking out the front of the complex. General Information - The Wollongong office site includes a client services room available 24 hours / 7 days a week for clients to drop off samples and / or pick up bottles and stock. This facility available for Eurofins | Environment Testing clients, is accessed via a coded lock. For information on the code and how to utilize this access service, please contact Elvis Dsouza on 0447 584 487. - Standard office opening hours are between 8.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays). We look forward to your visit. Eurofins | Environment Testing Management & Staff Eurofins Environment Testing Laboratories Wollongong Office Offices : Melbourne Unit 16, 7 Investigator Drive Adelaide Sydney Unanderra, NSW 2526 Darwin Brisbane Australia Newcastle Perth ABN: 50 005 085 521 Wollongong QS1081_R0 +61 2 9900 8492 .
    [Show full text]
  • Submission To: Victorian Bushfire Inquiry
    Submission to: Victorian Bushfire Inquiry Addressed to: Tony Pearce; Inspector-General Emergency Management, Victoria Submission from: Emergency Leaders for Climate Action https://emergencyleadersforclimateaction.org.au/ Prepared on behalf of ELCA by: Greg Mullins AO, AFSM; Former Commissioner, Fire & Rescue NSW May 2020 1 About Emergency Leaders for Climate Action Climate change is escalating Australia’s bushfire threat placing life, property, the economy and environment at increasing risk. Emergency Leaders for Climate Action (ELCA) was formed in April 2019 due to deep shared concerns about the potential of the 2019/20 bushfire season, unequivocal scientific evidence that climate change is the driver of longer, more frequent, more intense and overlapping bushfire seasons, and the failure of successive governments, at all levels, to take credible, urgent action on the basic causal factor: greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas. Greenhouse emissions are causing significant warming, in turn worsening the frequency and severity of extreme weather events that exacerbate and drive natural disasters such as bushfires. ELCA originally comprised of 23 former fire and emergency service leaders from every state and territory and every fire service in Australia, from several State Emergency Service agencies, and from several forestry and national parks agencies. At the time of submission, ELCA continues to grow and now comprises 33 members, including two former Directors General of Emergency Management Australia. Cumulatively, ELCA represents about 1,000 years of experience. Key members from Victoria include: • Craig Lapsley PSM: Former Emergency Management Commissioner; Former Fire Services Commissioner; Former Deputy Chief Officer, Country Fire Authority. • Russell Rees AFSM: Former Chief Fire Officer, Country Fire Authority Victoria.
    [Show full text]
  • Nineteenth-Century Lunatic Asylums in South Australia and Tasmania (1830-1883)
    AUSTRALASIAN HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, 19,2001 Convicts and the Free: Nineteenth-century lunatic asylums in South Australia and Tasmania (1830-1883) SUSAN PIDDOCK While most ofus are familiar with the idea ofthe lunatic asylum, few people realise that lunatic asylums were intended to be curative places where the insane were return to sanity. In the early nineteenth century a new treatment regime that emphasised the moral management of the insane person in the appropriate environment became popular. This environment was to be provided in the new lunatic asylums being built. This article looks at what this moral environment was and then considers it in the context ofthe provisions made for the insane in two colonies: South Australia and Tasmania. These colonies had totally different backgrounds, one as a colony offree settlers and the other as a convict colony. The continuing use ofnineteenth-century lunatic asylums as modern mental hospitals means that alternative approaches to the traditional approaches ofarchaeology have to be considered, and this article discusses documentary archaeology as one possibility. INTRODUCTION and Australia. In this paper a part of this study is highlighted, that being the provision of lunatic asylums in two colonies of While lunacy and the lunatic asylum are often the subject of Australia: South Australia and Tasmania. The first a colony academic research, little attention has been focused on the that prided itself on the lack of convicts within its society, and asylums themselves, as built environments in which the insane the second a colony which received convicts through the were to be bought back to sanity and returned to society.
    [Show full text]
  • Number of Living Species in Australia and the World
    Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World 2nd edition Arthur D. Chapman Australian Biodiversity Information Services australia’s nature Toowoomba, Australia there is more still to be discovered… Report for the Australian Biological Resources Study Canberra, Australia September 2009 CONTENTS Foreword 1 Insecta (insects) 23 Plants 43 Viruses 59 Arachnida Magnoliophyta (flowering plants) 43 Protoctista (mainly Introduction 2 (spiders, scorpions, etc) 26 Gymnosperms (Coniferophyta, Protozoa—others included Executive Summary 6 Pycnogonida (sea spiders) 28 Cycadophyta, Gnetophyta under fungi, algae, Myriapoda and Ginkgophyta) 45 Chromista, etc) 60 Detailed discussion by Group 12 (millipedes, centipedes) 29 Ferns and Allies 46 Chordates 13 Acknowledgements 63 Crustacea (crabs, lobsters, etc) 31 Bryophyta Mammalia (mammals) 13 Onychophora (velvet worms) 32 (mosses, liverworts, hornworts) 47 References 66 Aves (birds) 14 Hexapoda (proturans, springtails) 33 Plant Algae (including green Reptilia (reptiles) 15 Mollusca (molluscs, shellfish) 34 algae, red algae, glaucophytes) 49 Amphibia (frogs, etc) 16 Annelida (segmented worms) 35 Fungi 51 Pisces (fishes including Nematoda Fungi (excluding taxa Chondrichthyes and (nematodes, roundworms) 36 treated under Chromista Osteichthyes) 17 and Protoctista) 51 Acanthocephala Agnatha (hagfish, (thorny-headed worms) 37 Lichen-forming fungi 53 lampreys, slime eels) 18 Platyhelminthes (flat worms) 38 Others 54 Cephalochordata (lancelets) 19 Cnidaria (jellyfish, Prokaryota (Bacteria Tunicata or Urochordata sea anenomes, corals) 39 [Monera] of previous report) 54 (sea squirts, doliolids, salps) 20 Porifera (sponges) 40 Cyanophyta (Cyanobacteria) 55 Invertebrates 21 Other Invertebrates 41 Chromista (including some Hemichordata (hemichordates) 21 species previously included Echinodermata (starfish, under either algae or fungi) 56 sea cucumbers, etc) 22 FOREWORD In Australia and around the world, biodiversity is under huge Harnessing core science and knowledge bases, like and growing pressure.
    [Show full text]
  • SA Climate Ready Climate Projections for South Australia
    South East SA Climate Ready Climate projections for South Australia This document provides a summary of rainfall The region and temperature (maximum and minimum) information for the South East (SE) Natural Resources The SE NRM region (from the Management (NRM) region generated using the northern Coorong and Tatiara districts latest group of international global climate models. to the coast in the south and west, Information in this document is based on a more and Victoria to the east) has wet, cool detailed regional projections report available winters and dry, mild-hot summers; at www.goyderinstitute.org. with increasing rainfall from north to south; coastal zones are dominated by Climate projections at a glance winter rainfall, whilst more summer rain is experienced in inland areas. The future climate of the SE NRM region will be drier and hotter, though the amount of global action on decreasing greenhouse The SA Climate Ready project gas emissions will influence the speed and severity of change. The Goyder Institute is a partnership between the South Decreases in rainfall are projected for all seasons, Australian Government through the Department of Environment, with the greatest decreases in spring. Water and Natural Resources, CSIRO, Flinders University, Average temperatures (maximum and minimum) are University of Adelaide, and the University of South Australia. projected to increase for all seasons. Slightly larger increases In 2011, the Goyder Institute commenced SA Climate Ready, in maximum temperature occur for the spring season. a project to develop climate projections for South Australia. The resulting information provides a common platform on which Government, business and the community can By the end of the 21st century develop solutions to climate change adaptation challenges.
    [Show full text]
  • GREAT ARTESIAN BASIN Responsibility to Any Person Using the Information Or Advice Contained Herein
    S O U T H A U S T R A L I A A N D N O R T H E R N T E R R I T O R Y G R E A T A R T E S I A N B A S I N ( E RNturiyNaturiyaO M A N G A B A S I N ) Pmara JutPumntaara Jutunta YuenduYmuuendumuYuelamu " " Y"uelamu Hydrogeological Map (Part " 2) Nyirri"pi " " Papunya Papunya ! Mount Liebig " Mount Liebig " " " Haasts Bluff Haasts Bluff ! " Ground Elevation & Aquifer Conditions " Groundwater Salinity & Management Zones ! ! !! GAB Wells and Springs Amoonguna ! Amoonguna " GAB Spring " ! ! ! Salinity (μ S/cm) Hermannsburg Hermannsburg ! " " ! Areyonga GAB Spring Exclusion Zone Areyonga ! Well D Spring " Wallace Rockhole Santa Teresa " Wallace Rockhole Santa Teresa " " " " Extent of Saturated Aquifer ! D 1 - 500 ! D 5001 - 7000 Extent of Confined Aquifer ! D 501 - 1000 ! D 7001 - 10000 Titjikala Titjikala " " NT GAB Management Zone ! D ! Extent of Artesian Water 1001 - 1500 D 10001 - 25000 ! D ! Land Surface Elevation (m AHD) 1501 - 2000 D 25001 - 50000 Imanpa Imanpa ! " " ! ! D 2001 - 3000 ! ! 50001 - 100000 High : 1515 ! Mutitjulu Mutitjulu ! ! D " " ! 3001 - 5000 ! ! ! Finke Finke ! ! ! " !"!!! ! Northern Territory GAB Water Control District ! ! ! Low : -15 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! FNWAP Management Zone NORTHERN TERRITORY Birdsville NORTHERN TERRITORY ! ! ! Birdsville " ! ! ! " ! ! SOUTH AUSTRALIA SOUTH AUSTRALIA ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!! !!!! D !! D !!! DD ! DD ! !D ! ! DD !! D !! !D !! D !! D ! D ! D ! D ! D ! !! D ! D ! D ! D ! DDDD ! Western D !! ! ! ! ! Recharge Zone ! ! ! ! ! ! D D ! ! ! ! ! ! N N ! ! A A ! L L ! ! ! ! S S ! ! N N ! ! Western Zone E
    [Show full text]
  • Redefining Southern Australia´S Climatic Regions and Seasons
    CSIRO PUBLISHING Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science, 2021, 71, 92–109 https://doi.org/10.1071/ES20003 Redefining southern Australia’s climatic regions and seasons Sonya Fiddes A,B,D, Acacia Pepler A, Kate Saunders C and Pandora Hope A ABureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia. BPresent Address. Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia. CDelft Institute of Applied Mathematics, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands. DCorresponding author. Email: [email protected] Abstract. Climate scientists routinely rely on averaging over time or space to simplify complex information and to concisely communicate findings. Currently, no consistent definitions of ‘warm’ or ‘cool’ seasons for southern Australia exist, making comparisons across studies difficult. Similarly, numerous climate studies in Australia use either arbitrarily defined areas or the Natural Resource Management (NRM) clusters to perform spatial averaging. While the NRM regions were informed by temperature and rainfall information, they remain somewhat arbitrary. Here we use weather type influence on rainfall and clustering methods to quantitatively define climatic regions and seasons over southern Australia. Three methods are explored: k-means clustering and two agglomerative clustering methods, Ward linkage and average linkage. K-means was found to be preferred in temporal clustering, while the average linkage method was preferred for spatial clustering. For southern Australia as a whole, we define the cool season as April–September and warm season as October–March, though we note that a three-season split may provide more nuanced climate analysis. We also show that different regions across southern Australia experience different seasons and demonstrate the changing spatial influence of weather types with the seasons, which may aid regionally or seasonally specific climate analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • Eubalaena Australis) in South­Eastern Australia
    IWC | J. Cetacean. Res. Manage. 22, 2021 | 17 Calving intervals, long­range movements and site fidelity of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) in south­eastern Australia M. WATSON1*, K. STAMATION2, C. CHARLTON3 AND J. BANNISTER Contact e‐mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT Southern right whales in south‐eastern Australia are endangered and vulnerable to impacts from human disturbance. Information on population demographics and movement data is needed to inform ongoing species management. While the number of whales observed using the south‐eastern Australian coastline is increasing, there has been no change over three decades in the annual abundance of cow‐calf pairs at Logans Beach in Warrnambool, Victoria, the only established calving ground in south‐east Australia. Knowledge of life history parameters of the south‐eastern Australian subpopulation is lacking. Here, we examine sightings and photo‐identification data from southern Australia to investigate calving intervals, long range movements and fidelity to the Logans Beach calving ground. Sightings data revealed at least 93 calves were born at Logans Beach between 1980 and 2018 (an average of 2.6 per year) with a mean calving interval of 3.5 ± 0.2 years (± SE, n = 34). Comparison between photo‐identification catalogues compiled for south‐eastern and south‐western Australia shows that southern right whales are wide ranging within southern Australian waters. Females can be sighted at locations as far apart as 3,800km across seasons with at least 7% of whales using both regions. We also provide the first report of an Australian southern right whale female belonging to one subpopulation relocating long‐term to a calving area in another.
    [Show full text]