Indicator: A-03 Rainfall extremes - inter-annual variations in annual extreme rainfall
Data
Annual values of rainfall (99th percentile) - central arid
Annual values of rainfall (99th percentile) - central coast
Annual values of rainfall (99th percentile) - north east
Annual values of rainfall (99th percentile) - south east
Annual values of rainfall (99th percentile) - south west
Annual values of rainfall (99th percentile) - tablelands
Annual values of rainfall (99th percentile) - west
Source: CSIRO Atmospheric Research 2006
What the data mean
Locations of extreme rainfall events
The data looks at trends in extreme rainfall for the period 1910 to 2004 and whether extreme rainfall events are becoming stronger, in terms of the amount of rain falling in a twenty four hour period. If the 99th percentile rainfall is increasing then extreme rainfall events are becoming stronger. If the 99th percentile rainfall is decreasing then extreme rainfall events are becoming weaker.
There is a large annual and decadal variability in rainfall. This means that the trends in extreme rainfall over the 1910-2004 period differs from the trends over the 1970 to 2005 period. Over the 1910-2004 the only one statistically significant change is a decrease in annual 99th percentile intensity for the southwest region.
In most regions, the decreases in total and extreme rainfall have occurred since the early 1970s. All regions except the tablelands and the central arid region show a decline in extreme rainfall since the mid-1970s.
Data Limitations
Nil known.
Issues for which this is an indicator and why
Atmosphere - Climate variability and change - Weather
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth. Its interior has one of the lowest rainfalls in the world and about three-quarters of the land is arid or semi-arid. Rainfall trends are important from an environmental and an economic perspective. For thousands of years, Australia has experienced strong year-to-year variations in rainfall.
Other indicators for this issue:
- A-01 Annual variation in the Southern Oscillation Index
- A-02 Rainfall trends - annual mean rainfall
- A-04 Temperature trends - annual mean temperature anomalies
- A-05 Temperature extremes - percentage area of extreme annual mean temperatures
- A-06 Extreme weather-related effects - cost of weather-related disasters
- A-36 Rainfall extremes - percentage area experiencing extreme wet and dry conditions
- A-37 Temperature trends - spatial trend in mean annual temperatures
- A-47 Rainfall deficiencies - drought
Land - Contributions and pressures between the land and the atmosphere - Climate
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth. Its interior has one of the lowest rainfalls in the world and about three-quarters of the land is arid or semi-arid. Rainfall trends are important from an environmental and an economic perspective. For thousands of years, Australia has experienced strong year-to-year variations in rainfall. These natural variations and any more extreme variations or changes in the normal scope of variation that may result from anthropogenic climate change are important indicators for the pressure of this change on the land.
Other indicators for this issue:
- LD-05 Terrestrial carbon loss rate and rate of land carbon sequestration
- LD-24 Severe drought and wildfire correlation
- A-01 Annual variation in the Southern Oscillation Index
- A-02 Rainfall trends - annual mean rainfall
- A-04 Temperature trends - annual mean temperature anomalies
- A-05 Temperature extremes - percentage area of extreme annual mean temperatures
- A-41 Greenhouse - climate change projections
- BD-15 Examples of impacts of climate variability on selected species, habitats or ecosystems
- AAT-12 Changes in colonies of plants on Heard Island
- AAT-14 Ice sheet mass balance and sea ice extent
- AAT-15 Glacier movement
- A-45 Greenhouse - agricultural sector carbon dioxide equivalent emissions
Inland Waters - Catchment scale influences - Influence of climate variability and change
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth. Its interior has one of the lowest rainfalls in the world and about three-quarters of the land is arid or semi-arid. Rainfall trends are important from an environmental and an economic perspective. For thousands of years, Australia has experienced strong year-to-year variations in rainfall. These natural variations and any more extreme variations or changes in the normal scope of variation that may result from anthropogenic climate change are important indicators for the pressure of this change on inland waters.
Other indicators for this issue:
- A-01 Annual variation in the Southern Oscillation Index
- A-02 Rainfall trends - annual mean rainfall
- A-04 Temperature trends - annual mean temperature anomalies
- A-05 Temperature extremes - percentage area of extreme annual mean temperatures
- A-36 Rainfall extremes - percentage area experiencing extreme wet and dry conditions
- A-37 Temperature trends - spatial trend in mean annual temperatures
- A-41 Greenhouse - climate change projections
- A-47 Rainfall deficiencies - drought
- LD-24 Severe drought and wildfire correlation
- BD-15 Examples of impacts of climate variability on selected species, habitats or ecosystems
- AAT-12 Changes in colonies of plants on Heard Island
- AAT-14 Ice sheet mass balance and sea ice extent
- AAT-15 Glacier movement
Biodiversity - Pressures on biodiversity - Climate variability
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth. Its interior has one of the lowest rainfalls in the world and about three-quarters of the land is arid or semi-arid. Rainfall trends are important from an environmental and an economic perspective. For thousands of years, Australia has experienced strong year-to-year variations in rainfall. These natural variations and any more extreme variations or changes in the normal scope of variation that may result from anthropogenic climate change are important indicators for the pressure of this change on biodiversity.
Other indicators for this issue:
- BD-15 Examples of impacts of climate variability on selected species, habitats or ecosystems
- LD-05 Terrestrial carbon loss rate and rate of land carbon sequestration
- LD-24 Severe drought and wildfire correlation
- CO-03 Sea level
- CO-04 Sea surface temperature variability
- CO-44 Marine chlorophyll concentration
- CO-60 Sea salinity
- CO-76 Examples of the impact of climate variability on selected coastal and marine species, habitats or ecosystems
- A-01 Annual variation in the Southern Oscillation Index
- A-02 Rainfall trends - annual mean rainfall
- A-04 Temperature trends - annual mean temperature anomalies
- A-05 Temperature extremes - percentage area of extreme annual mean temperatures
- AAT-15 Glacier movement
- A-36 Rainfall extremes - percentage area experiencing extreme wet and dry conditions
- A-37 Temperature trends - spatial trend in mean annual temperatures
- A-41 Greenhouse - climate change projections
- A-47 Rainfall deficiencies - drought
- AAT-12 Changes in colonies of plants on Heard Island
- AAT-14 Ice sheet mass balance and sea ice extent
Key
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