Climate Patterns
The effects of climate change are now being seen across the planet and the Mount Alexander region is no exception.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), 2015 was Australia’s fifth-warmest year on record, with a number of notable heat waves, and record-breaking temperatures from October to December.
Using information from the CSIRO and BoM, the North Central Catchment Management Authority recently published climate projections for our region (see table below). The overall picture for the Mount Alexander region is of a hotter and mostly drier landscape.
| Climate projections for the North Central region | Level of confidence |
| Average temperatures will continue to increase in all seasons | Very high |
| More hot days and warm spells | Very high |
| Fewer, but possibly damaging, frosts | High |
| By late in the century, less rainfall during the cool season | High |
| Rainfall will remain unchanged in the warm season | Medium |
| Even though mean annual rainfall is projected to decline, heavy rainfall intensity is projected to increase | High |
| A harsher fire-weather climate in the future | High |
Click here to see what impact this may have on biodiversity in the region.
Further Reading:
Bureau of Meteorology (2017), Annual Climate Report
CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology make a significant contribution to the international climate science literature, reporting on their research activities. They also produce a range of information on past and future climate for Australia and other regions, based on peer-reviewed science. These include:
- State of the Climate
- Climate Change: Science and Solutions for Australia
- Climate Change in Australia
- Climate Change in the Pacific
You may also like to look at a number of other non-CSIRO sites, including:
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology
- Australian Academy of Science’s The Science of Climate Change: Questions and AnswersÂ