As northern and eastern Australia brace for ample rain, the Bureau of Meteorology's seasonal outlook shows a dry winter for Western Australia's most populous region - here's why.
#WAs #southwestset #drywinter #climatechange
As northern and eastern Australia brace for a wet and wet winter, the Bureau of Meteorology's seasonal outlook shows Western Australia's most densely populated areas are very different from the rest of the country.
Takeaway: Drier winters expected for WA's South West Land Department
A dry winter is forecast for the WA South West Land Department. Rising sea temperatures are partly to blame
Rising sea temperatures are one reason climate change models suggest drought will persist
Instead of being wrapped in blues and greens, the precipitation forecast map is marked with shades of orange and red - an indication of what could be a dry winter.
The Bureau of Meteorology's director of long-term forecasts, Andrew Watkins, said much of the south-west, including Perth, was likely to experience below-average rainfall this winter.
"The odds are about 70 per cent and it's drier than average, so it's the opposite of anywhere else in Australia," he said.
For Perth, that means less than 395mm of rain.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a wet and wet winter for much of the country, but particularly in Western Australia's most populous areas.
Above-average heat is forecast for Perth and the state's south-west.
Meanwhile, the northern parts of the state, including the Pilbara and Kimberley, are forecast to experience above-average wet temperatures over the next three months.
So why is there a difference?
Warm oceans come into play
The BOM outlook takes into account the effects of climate change and natural climate drivers.
Dr Watkins said it was a "probabilistic forecast" that essentially looked at how the dice would load up for the upcoming season.
Western Australia's Pilbara and Kimberley regions could experience a wetter winter.
One of the main reasons for the above-average rainfall in the north and east of the country this winter is warmer sea temperatures, he said.
These include a climate driver known as the Indian Ocean Dipole, which is expected to enter a "negative" phase in the coming months.
Negative IOP occurs when sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa are cooler than usual, while waters in northwestern Australia are warmer.
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Every event is different, but a negative IOD typically brings wet weather from Gascoyne in Western Australia to Tasmania.
"So negative IOP encourages those northwest cloud bands, especially at this time of year when you get into winter," he said.
"They saw huge clouds c
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The world knows pretty much every detail of the personal lives of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard as the good, the bad and the ugly are stripped out of court testimony.
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The sensational court battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard ended with a jury verdict in favor of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star who found she "acted with genuine malice".
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Johnny Depp has filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife. Image: Evelyn Hoxstein/Pool/AFP)
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Since their divorce in 2016, it seems everyone connected to the actor feels compelled to make a public statement — or testify in court, as Depp's former supermodel girlfriend Kate Moss did.
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Depp and Vanessa Paradis ended their 14-year relationship in 2012. Image credit: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
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The rapid development and deployment of COVID vaccines has been one of the greatest achievements of the pandemic.
However, Australia risks relying on COVID vaccines from two main companies – Pfizer and Moderna – and that’s a problem.
While the need for COVID vaccines is not going away anytime soon, we need to shape the market to drive more competition for better access to improved vaccines.
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When COVID finally broke out at scale in Australia late last year, the vaccines worked extremely well to reduce s and severe illness.
Since January 1 this year, there have been more than 5.9 million confirmed COVID infections nationwide, but about 5,300 s.
Yet current vaccines aren’t 100% effective at protecting against infection; new viral variants continue to emerge; protection via vaccination and prior infection wanes quite quickly, meaning reinfection is becoming more common and booster shots may remain part of the landscape for some time to come.
Meanwhile, vaccine inequity remains an unresolved problem. This has led to a situation where rich countries, such as Australia, are giving booster shots where some poorer countries don’t even have enough vaccine for first doses.
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Pfizer and Moderna, but not much else
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While the number of approved COVID vaccines is growing around the world, Australia largely still relies on only two, namely vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.
The AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines are only rarely used as boosters if no other vaccines are suitable.
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,1,As northern and eastern Australia brace for ample rain, the Bureau of Meteorology's seasonal outlook shows a dry winter for Western Australia's most populous region - here's why.
#WAs #southwestset #drywinter #climatechange
As northern and eastern Australia brace for a wet and wet winter, the Bureau of Meteorology's seasonal outlook shows Western Australia's most densely populated areas are very different from the rest of the country.
Takeaway: Drier winters expected for WA's South West Land Department
A dry winter is forecast for the WA South West Land Department. Rising sea temperatures are partly to blame
Rising sea temperatures are one reason climate change models suggest drought will persist
Instead of being wrapped in blues and greens, the precipitation forecast map is marked with shades of orange and red - an indication of what could be a dry winter.
The Bureau of Meteorology's director of long-term forecasts, Andrew Watkins, said much of the south-west, including Perth, was likely to experience below-average rainfall this winter.
"The odds are about 70 per cent and it's drier than average, so it's the opposite of anywhere else in Australia," he said.
For Perth, that means less than 395mm of rain.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a wet and wet winter for much of the country, but particularly in Western Australia's most populous areas.
Above-average heat is forecast for Perth and the state's south-west.
Meanwhile, the northern parts of the state, including the Pilbara and Kimberley, are forecast to experience above-average wet temperatures over the next three months.
So why is there a difference?
Warm oceans come into play
The BOM outlook takes into account the effects of climate change and natural climate drivers.
Dr Watkins said it was a "probabilistic forecast" that essentially looked at how the dice would load up for the upcoming season.
Western Australia's Pilbara and Kimberley regions could experience a wetter winter.
One of the main reasons for the above-average rainfall in the north and east of the country this winter is warmer sea temperatures, he said.
These include a climate driver known as the Indian Ocean Dipole, which is expected to enter a "negative" phase in the coming months.
Negative IOP occurs when sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa are cooler than usual, while waters in northwestern Australia are warmer.
loading
Every event is different, but a negative IOD typically brings wet weather from Gascoyne in Western Australia to Tasmania.
"So negative IOP encourages those northwest cloud bands, especially at this time of year when you get into winter," he said.
"They saw huge clouds c
