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This moves north-west and north-east with the seasons. The climate is variable, with frequent droughts lasting several seasons, thought to be caused in part by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Australia has a wide variety of climates due to its large geographical size. The largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid.
By far the largest part of Australia is arid or semi-arid. A total of 18% of Australia's mainland consists of named deserts, [20] while additional areas are considered to have a desert climate based on low rainfall and high temperature. Only the south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil.
Australia's annual average temperatures are projected to increase 0.4–2.0 °C above 1990 levels by the year 2030, and 1–6 °C by 2070. Average precipitation in the southwest and southeast Australia is projected to decline during this time, while regions such as the northwest may experience increases in rainfall.
By international standards, the Great Australian desert receives relatively high rates of rainfall, around 250 mm (9.84 in) on average, but due to the high evapotranspiration it would be correspondingly arid. [3] No Australian weather stations situated in an arid region record less than 100 mm (3.94 in) of average annual rainfall. [4]
In winter it normally moves north, therefore permitting cold fronts and low pressure systems to relocate up from the Great Australian Bight and bring rainfall to most parts of southern Australia. [6] The high is part of the subtropical ridge system and it is the reason why a large part of Australia is arid to semi-arid. [7]
The Australian monsoon (AUM), also known as the Australian summer monsoon (ASM), [2] and the Australian-Indonesian monsoon (AIM), [3] is a monsoon system that increases thunderstorms and rainfall over many areas of Indonesia and northern Australia, from the far northern tropics of the region to the semi-arid zone of Australia, typically between ...
Australia is vulnerable to the effects of global warming projected for the next 50 to 100 years because of its extensive arid and semi-arid areas, and already warm climate, high annual rainfall variability. The continent's high fire risk increases this susceptibility to changes in temperature and climate.
The climate of the north of Australia ranges from arid (Köppen BWh) in the south to monsoonal (Köppen Aw) in the Top End and Kimberley. On the eastern coast, however, the climate is much more humid and ranges from humid sub-tropical (Köppen Cfa around Brisbane and Cwa further north) to humid tropical (Köppen Am and Af ) in the Wet Tropics.