Likely four-fold rise of extreme weather this century

T

he worst combination of extreme weather patterns in the Indian and Pacific oceans will likely rise four-fold this century if greenhouse gas emissions continue on their current trajectory, leading researchers have said.

Australia's already variable climate may be particularly susceptible to a punishing sequence of events. This starts with reduced rainfall sourced off the nation's north-west, combining with a strong El Nino in the Pacific to intensify drought over the food bowl regions of south-eastern Australia, only to be followed by floods during a powerful La Nina event the following year.

Read the story from today’s Age - “Global warming to drive quadrupling of extreme weather trifecta, study finds.”