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Do not fill this in! ===Climate=== {{Main|Climate of Australia}} [[File:Australia Köppen.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|right|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Australia<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Beck|first1=Hylke E.|last2=Zimmermann|first2=Niklaus E. |last3=McVicar|first3=Tim R.|last4=Vergopolan|first4=Noemi|last5=Berg|first5=Alexis|last6=Wood|first6=Eric F.|title=Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution |journal=Scientific Data|date=30 October 2018|volume=5|issue=1|page=180214|doi=10.1038/sdata.2018.214|pmid=30375988|pmc=6207062|bibcode=2018NatSD...580214B}}</ref>]] The climate of Australia is significantly influenced by ocean currents, including the [[Indian Ocean Dipole]] and the [[El Niño–Southern Oscillation]], which is correlated with periodic [[Drought in Australia|drought]], and the seasonal tropical low-pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/climate-watch/no-more-drought-its-a-permanent-dry/2007/09/06/1188783415754.html|title=No more drought: it's a 'permanent dry'|last=Kleinman|first=Rachel|date=6 September 2007|access-date=30 March 2010|publisher=The Age|location=Melbourne|archive-date=10 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010150803/http://www.theage.com.au/news/climate-watch/no-more-drought-its-a-permanent-dry/2007/09/06/1188783415754.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article2465960.ece |title=Australia's epic drought: The situation is grim|last=Marks|first=Kathy|newspaper=The Independent|date=20 April 2007 |access-date=30 March 2010|location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070422065131/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article2465960.ece |archive-date=22 April 2007}}</ref> These factors cause rainfall to vary markedly from year to year. Much of the northern part of the country has a tropical, predominantly summer-rainfall ([[monsoon]]).<ref name=bomclim>{{Cite web |title=Australia – Climate of Our Continent|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/ausclim/zones.htm |access-date=17 June 2010 |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090317054300/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/96122/20090317-1643/www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/ausclim/zones.html |archive-date=17 March 2009}}{{Cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The south-west corner of the country has a [[Mediterranean climate]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate of Western Australia|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/ausclim/ausclimwa.htm |access-date=6 December 2009 |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090317054300/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/96122/20090317-1643/www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/ausclim/ausclimwa.html |archive-date=17 March 2009}}{{Cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The south-east ranges from [[oceanic climate|oceanic]] (Tasmania and coastal Victoria) to [[humid subtropical]] (upper half of New South Wales), with the highlands featuring [[alpine climate|alpine]] and [[subpolar oceanic climate]]s. The interior is [[arid]] to [[semi-arid]].<ref name=bomclim/> Driven by climate change, average temperatures have risen [[Climate change in Australia|more than 1°C since 1960]]. Associated changes in rainfall patterns and climate extremes exacerbate existing issues such as drought and [[Bushfires in Australia|bushfires]]. 2019 was Australia's warmest recorded year,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/documents/State-of-the-Climate-2020.pdf|title=State of the Climate 2020|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|date=November 2020|access-date=2 December 2020|archive-date=24 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124014610/http://www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/documents/State-of-the-Climate-2020.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[2019–20 Australian bushfire season|2019–2020 bushfire season]] was the country's worst [[List of Australian bushfire seasons|on record]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Australia fires: Life during and after the worst bushfires in history|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52410744|publisher=BBC News|date=28 April 2020|access-date=18 July 2020|archive-date=15 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715111438/https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52410744|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Greenhouse gas emissions by Australia|Australia's greenhouse gas emissions]] per capita are among the highest in the world.<ref>{{Cite report|date=9 March 2020|title=Environment at a Glance Indicators: Climate change|url=https://www.oecd.org/environment/environment-at-a-glance/Climate-Change-Archive-February-2020.pdf|publisher=OECD|page=6|access-date=3 December 2020|archive-date=21 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221214907/https://www.oecd.org/environment/environment-at-a-glance/Climate-Change-Archive-February-2020.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Water restrictions in Australia|Water restrictions]] are frequently in place in many regions and cities of Australia in response to chronic shortages due to urban population increases and localised drought.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Heggie|first1=Jon |title=Making Every Drop Count: How Australia is Securing its Water Future|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/partner-content-how-australia-is-securing-its-water-future/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718182729/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/partner-content-how-australia-is-securing-its-water-future/|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 July 2020|publisher=National Geographic|date=August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nwc.gov.au/urban/more/national-review-of-water-restrictions-in-australia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227083656/http://www.nwc.gov.au/urban/more/national-review-of-water-restrictions-in-australia |archive-date=27 February 2012 |title=National review of water restrictions in Australia|publisher=Australian Government National Water Commission|date=15 January 2010 |access-date=27 September 2012}}</ref> Throughout much of the continent, [[Floods in Australia|major flooding]] regularly follows extended periods of drought, flushing out inland river systems, overflowing dams and inundating large inland flood plains, as occurred throughout Eastern Australia in the early 2010s after the [[2000s Australian drought]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theconversation.com/yes-australia-is-a-land-of-flooding-rains-but-climate-change-could-be-making-it-worse-157586|last=Gergis|first=Joelle|title=Yes, Australia is a land of flooding rains. But climate change could be making it worse|date=23 March 2021|website=The Conversation|access-date=2 April 2021|archive-date=4 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210404091437/https://theconversation.com/yes-australia-is-a-land-of-flooding-rains-but-climate-change-could-be-making-it-worse-157586|url-status=live}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page