State of the Climate Report 2022 - climate change continues to be mapped in Australia

BOM/CSIRO (c)

The latest State of the Climate Report for 2022 has been published by the CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) continuing the unequivocal evidence of climate change and the impact on weather that is becoming the normal for this continent. The findings in summary provide sober reading at best and a portent of what is to come in the years ahead -

• Temperature: Australia’s climate has warmed by an average of 1.47 ± 0.24 °C since national records began in 1910.
• Sea temperature: Sea surface temperatures have increased by an average of 1.05 °C since 1900. This has led to an increase in the frequency of extreme heat events over land and sea. 
• Rainfall: There has been a decline of around 15 per cent in April to October rainfall in the southwest of Australia since 1970. Across the same region, May to July rainfall has seen the largest decrease, by around 19 per cent since 1970.
• There has been a decrease in streamflow at most gauges across Australia since 1975.
• Rainfall and streamflow have increased across parts of northern Australia since the 1970s.
• Fire: There has been an increase in extreme fire weather, and a longer fire season, across large parts of the country since the 1950s.
• There has been a decrease in the number of tropical cyclones observed in the Australian region.
• Decrease in snow: Snow depth, snow cover and number of snow days have decreased in alpine regions since the late 1950s.
• Ocean acidification: Oceans around Australia are acidifying and have warmed by more than 1 °C since 1900, contributing to longer and more frequent marine heatwaves.
• Sea level rise: Sea levels are rising around Australia, including more frequent extremes that are increasing the risk of inundation and damage to coastal infrastructure and communities.

The Report can be accessed at this link:CSIRO - BOM State of the Climate 2022 Report