{"id":13213,"date":"2024-12-11T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=13213"},"modified":"2024-11-29T07:38:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T07:38:00","slug":"unprecedented-climate-extremes-changing-baselines-normal-december-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/unprecedented-climate-extremes-changing-baselines-normal-december-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Unprecedented\u2019 climate extremes are everywhere. Our baselines for what\u2019s normal will need to\u00a0change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n \n Thomas Rosenzweig\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n Milton Speer<\/a>, University of Technology Sydney<\/a><\/em> and Lance M Leslie<\/a>, University of Technology Sydney<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

Extreme temperature and rainfall events are increasing<\/a> around the world, including Australia. What makes them extreme<\/a> is their rarity and severity compared to the typical climate.<\/p>\n\n

A region\u2019s \u201cclimate\u201d is defined by a 30-year average of mainly rainfall and temperature. Increasingly, these climate definitions have become less appropriate \u2013 we need to look at events over shorter time periods to gain a more accurate picture.<\/p>\n\n

We can see this in the recent worldwide proliferation<\/a> of extreme flooding<\/a> and prolonged heatwaves<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Using southern Australia as a prime example, our newly published research<\/a> in Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability shows that machine learning techniques can help identify key climate drivers, supporting a redefinition of climate in a warming world.<\/p>\n\n

Increasing \u2018flash\u2019 events<\/h2>\n\n

In Australia, eastern coastal regions of Queensland and New South Wales continue to receive record downpours and flash floods<\/a>, interspersed by dry periods of a few months to a few years.<\/p>\n\n

In stark contrast, southern coastal regions are drying and facing more extreme heatwaves. With already parched vegetation and catastrophic fire dangers, this region is experiencing drought conditions due to decreased cool season rainfall and increased temperatures.<\/p>\n\n

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