University of Southern Queensland and Bureau of Meteorology work to understand climate phenomenon where normal conditions rapidly intensify into drought events.
A traditional drought is known for its insidious creep across the landscape, yet climate scientists are investigating a faster and unexplored type of dry spell in Australia. Like flash floods, the term βflash droughtβ refers to a suddenly changing situation where conditions intensify faster than expected β instead of months and years, things escalate over weeks.
Dr Hanh Nguyen is a Bureau of Meteorology senior climate scientist and is part of the University of Southern Queensland-led Northern Australia Climate Program. She is leading the programβs research efforts into flash droughts, and recently publishedΒ details of the ongoing study in theΒ Weather and Climate Extremes journal. βThe recent multi-year drought across subtropical eastern Australia was the driest and hottest three-year period since 1911,βDr Nguyen said. “Conditions went from wet in 2016 to a government-declared drought from the end of 2017, intensifying further to become most severe in mid to late 2019.”
Dr Nguyen and her team believe βflash droughtβ is a new name for an old problem, and are shifting through decades of historical data to better understand and define the phenomenon.Β βOur network ofΒ Climate Mates are reaching out to their contacts for first-hand accounts of suspected flash droughts.Β While large-scale drivers set the stage for the likelihood of drought, successful prediction of flash droughts will require more local and current information.β
TheΒ Northern Australia Climate Program is a partnership between the Queensland Government, Meat and Livestock Australia and the University of Southern Queensland to help producers manage drought and climate risks.Β
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