News Report: Austrailia dried due to Ozone hole

Ok, I searched for this and could not find a thread so here goes:

In an article at the BBC News website, they say that the hole in the ozone has shifted the weather patterns across the southern hemisphere.

Their climate models suggest the effect has been notably strong over Australia.

This accounts for the drought instances rising. What's worse is that the regional ozone drives are high for that area.

"In terms of the average for that zone, [the ozone hole drives] about a 10% change - but for Australia, it's about 35%," Dr Kang told BBC News.

Although Australia has suffered droughts before the hole in the ozone, the model indicates that the weather changes caused by greenhouse emissions are impacting the globe.

Earlier this month, the World Meteorological Organization revealed that the Arctic was experiencing the worst ozone depletion on record - a consequence of unusual weather conditions.

Australia's water is now flowing just one third of what it was in the past. Although they are trying to create a

controversial plan aiming to distribute water fairly against a backdrop of over-extraction, prolonged drought, natural climate variability and greenhouse gas-mediated global warming.

An internet search for the keywords Austrailia, drought, Ozone, April 2011 will give you many more links on this story.

I'm sorry OP , I living in the country in question have to disagree with this .Australia has been reknown for being a dry country .More so since the arrival of European's, with their land clearing and grazing practices.Centuries ago this country was rainforest right to it's center .You'll will still find strange green oassis's in the middle of nowhere .
Back to more recent and relevant times in relation to your thread, Australia has in the last two decades has expirienced some heavy droughts .The source of these was given as el nino,relating to warm ocean currents.Right or wrong it does not interest me .The reason for my reply is this , what bloody drought is your scource talking about ??? I live in Queensland , the drought capital of the country .For the last two years you could be forgiven for thinking you are in New Zealand .Everything is green and wet, so wet that my lawns need mowing every three days , the problem is you can't .Why because it is raining !!! Are peoples memories shorter than a goldfish or what? Have people forgotten how many people drowned during flooding in this nation just this year ?
If the this article was published in Australia it would be laughed down .I believe it is just more Global warming rubbish, to cause more alarm and push the agenda of carbon trading and tax !

As for global warming , what ? where ? A few years ago in tropical Queensland you could walk around in just a pair of shorts outside at 5am in the morning, in the middle of winter .Now it is multiple layers of clothes and electric blankets .This is unheard of in the thirty years I've lived here .

reply to post by 13th Zodiac


Thanks for the input, I posted this because I thought it got missed by ATSers and I took these scientists at face value. I don't know what drought they're talking about nor was I aware of current conditions there until you posted them.

I've always taken the BBC as a reputable source, although where exactly they are in the UK is beyond me at this moment. However the results are what they are and the study was conducted by Columbia University in NYC.

I cross referenced the story and it seems that the BBC article is the base for all the rest of them. Perhaps they were a bit dramatic with the title of their story? I think the Ozone problem is contributing to existing patterns...

Ironically, The Gazette posted today that

Ozone hole blamed for increased rainfall in Australia

Oddly, this completely states the opposite of my thread origin post!

The hole has had a profound impact on the Southern Hemisphere, altering the climate all the way to the equator, changing wind patterns and increasing rain in southern Australia by about 35 per cent, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science.

Ok, so last week it's causing drought and now it's causing rain?

The change in the westerly jet altered moisture transport in the Southern Hemisphere, having the most pronounced impact on Southern Australia with "about a 35-percent increase in rainfall attributable to polar ozone depletion," Fyfe said. Sigmond said the 35-percent increase over the past 30 years corresponds to up to 30 millimetres more rain per month.

~I am soooo confused!!~

reply to post by Invariance


well Australia is a big country so it is not unheard of to have drought in one part and floods in another, we had the big ozone depletion contraversy back in the 80's, I never really understood how Australia got such a huge ozone hole by using cfc's when we had such a small population in comparrison to the rest of the world, I would have thought that there would have been more depletion in the northern hemisphere where the larger concentration of humans lived using more ozone depleting chemicals.

reply to post by munkey66


I agree, you would figure the main depletion to be in the northern hemisphere... ~shrugs~ not a scientist, just interesting to see such blanket statements from science here. Confusing that the studies directly contrast each-other. *sigh* oh well... not a good sign nonetheless.