{"id":326854,"date":"2022-11-24T15:40:48","date_gmt":"2022-11-24T05:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=326854"},"modified":"2022-11-24T19:20:25","modified_gmt":"2022-11-24T09:20:25","slug":"climate-changing-at-increased-pace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2022\/11\/24\/climate-changing-at-increased-pace\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Changing ‘At Increased Pace’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Graphic: CSIRO \/ BOM)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The latest State Of The Climate report (Photo: CSIRO \/ BOM)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

November 24, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

The State of the Climate Report 2022, released this week by the CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology, says changes to weather and climate extremes are happening at an increased pace across Australia.<\/p>\n

The report, released every two years, shows an increase in extreme heat events, intense heavy rainfall, longer fire seasons and a rise in sea levels.<\/p>\n

CSIRO Climate Science Centre director Dr Jaci Brown said concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, were the highest levels seen on Earth for at least two million years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are continuing to rise, and this is causing Australia\u2019s climate to warm,\u201d Dr Brown said.<\/p>\n

Dr Brown said the report documented the continuing acidification of the oceans around Australia, which have also warmed by more than one degree since 1900.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe warming of our oceans is contributing to longer and more frequent marine heatwaves, and this trend is expected to continue,\u201d Dr Brown said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing mass coral bleaching events more often and this year, for the first time, we\u2019ve seen a mass coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef during a La Ni\u00f1a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rate of sea level rise varies around Australia\u2019s coastlines, but the north and south-east have experienced the most significant increases.\u201d<\/p>\n

BOM Climate Environmental Prediction Services manager Dr Karl Braganza said the report projected increases in air temperatures, more heat extremes and fewer cold extremes in coming decades.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAustralia’s climate has warmed on average by 1.47 degrees since 1910,\u201d Dr Braganza said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen contrasting rainfall trends across the north and the south of the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been an overall decline in rainfall between April and October across southern Australia in recent decades, but in northern Australia, rainfall has increased across the region since the 1970s.\u201d<\/p>\n

During La Ni\u00f1a events in 2021-22, eastern Australia experienced one of its most significant flood periods observed.<\/p>\n

The report shows heavy rainfall events are becoming more intense and the number of short-duration heavy rainfall events is expected to increase in the future.<\/p>\n

Dr Braganza said the length of fire seasons has increased across the country in recent decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re expecting to see longer fire seasons in the future for the south and east, and an increase in the number of dangerous fire weather days,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

State of the Climate 2022 is the seventh report in a series by the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO.<\/p>\n

The State of the Climate 2022 report can be found on the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology websites.<\/p>\n