Good news if it is true:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Drought-may-be-ending--sunspots-reveal/2007/03/19/1174152960869.html

The worst drought in a century could end this year, according to a scientist who has linked the cycle of sunspots and the "looping" of the sun's magnetic field to Australia's weather patterns.

Associated Professor Robert Baker, of Armidale's University of New England, says his tracking of sunspots since records were kept in 1876 shows that switches in the sun's poles and magnetic field every 11 years are consistent in their effect on Australia's weather.

He said the current stage of the cycle, since the last "flip" in 2001, meant that the eastern half of Australia could look forward to 18 months of heavy rain and a 10-year "window" of average falls in which to prepare for an even worse dry period in the 2020s.

Prof Baker said his system of analysis simply complemented other methods of weather prediction and did not take into account the effects of carbon emissions on climate change.

"If this coming cycle of predicted rainfall does not occur, it will be undeniable that carbon emissions are impacting on our climate in a very profound way," Prof Baker said.

Well, it has been raining here regularly for the past  two months.
I'd consider the drought over. :)

I've heard somewhere that there's going to be a 'hundred year flood' next... can anyone confirm this?

ex-member DonaldTrump wrote on Mar 20^th, 2007 at 12:53am:

I've heard somewhere that there's going to be a 'hundred year flood' next... can anyone confirm this?

According to those Christian blokes..... ;)

Quote:

According to those Christian blokes.....

Hehe. Not exactly. My Dad. And he's as athiest as athiest can be. :P

Btw AusNat... congratulations on reaching 5 STARS!!!  [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] [smiley=tekst-toppie.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] [smiley=tekst-toppie.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif]

ex-member DonaldTrump wrote on Mar 20^th, 2007 at 1:13am:

Quote: According to those Christian blokes..... Hehe. Not exactly. My Dad. And he's as athiest as athiest can be. :P Btw AusNat... congratulations on reaching 5 STARS!!!  [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] [smiley=tekst-toppie.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] [smiley=tekst-toppie.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif]

Strewth you just made me notice
Where does your dad come up with the 100 year flood idea!

OH NO!

poo i just thought....... am i right?

Strewth you just made me notice
Where does your dad come up with the 100 year flood idea.."
------------------------

No Aus Nat..hes not Noah! ::)

http://news.smh.com.au/scientists-warn-of-looming-water-supply-crisis/20080201-1ph3.html

Climate change has already dramatically altered the water cycle and these changes signal a looming water supply crisis, according to a prominent group of hydrologists and climatologists writing Thursday in Science magazine.

They argue that radical water cycle changes will be widespread and that past trends can no longer be relied upon when planning future water management.

"Our best current estimates are that water availability will increase substantially in northern Eurasia, Alaska, Canada and some tropical regions, and decrease substantially in southern Europe, the Middle East, southern Africa and southwestern North America," said lead author Christopher Milly, a research hydrologist with the US Geological Survey.

Climate change has already resulted in changes to rainfall patterns and river flows and created a greater risk of flooding in some areas, the authors wrote.

Rising sea levels will "heighten risk of contamination of coastal freshwater supplies" while a "poleward expansion of the subtropic dry zone" is reducing water runoff levels.

In a separate article in the same journal, researchers linked sharp changes in water supplies in the western United States to global warming.

The study concluded that "up to 60 percent of the climate-related trends of river flow, winter air temperature and snow pack ... from 1950-1999 are due to human-caused climate change from greenhouse gases and aerosols."