'Climate change faster in Australia'

Canberra, Jan 3: Australia appears to be suffering an accelerated Greenhouse effect, with the pace of global warming faster across the country than in other parts of the world, climatologists said today.

The world's driest inhabited continent, already suffering one of its worst droughts, was waging its own unique climate war, said Australia's Bureau of Meteorology yearly climate report.

Half the country was desperate for water and the other half was awash with a year's rainfall for the entire continent.

''Most scientists agree this is part of an enhanced Greenhouse effect,'' bureau senior climatologist Neil Plummer told Sources.

''Temperatures are actually rising a little bit faster over Australia compared to the global average, and we know that of Australia's 20 hottest years, 15 have occurred since 1980.'' As the first cyclone of the summer bore down on Australia's northwest coast, bringing more rain and potentially destructive winds, the report revealed extraordinary climatic contrasts.

Some areas experienced rare summer snow falls over Christmas to dampen bushfires, even as the drought tightened its grip and major cities imposed tough restrictions on water usage.

While the nation received above average 2006 rains, with 490 mm of rain falling against the 472 mm average, key water catchments and rivers shrivelled in the food bowl southeast where most Australians live.

''Rain fell, but just not in the most populated areas. Most Australians would certainly have seen 2006 as a dry year,'' Plummer said.

Australia's average temperature for 2006 was 0.47 Celsius (1 Fahrenheit) above the long-term average, but it was only the eleventh warmest year since 1910, the bureau report said.

And despite record daily temperatures in the southeast, last year was cooler than 2005 due to a very active tropical wet season early in the year.

Plummer said an El Nino weather event in the Pacific Ocean bringing severe drought to eastern Australia was responsible for much of the variation, but that was beginning to weaken.

''What we see on the rainfall is a signature of El Nino.

There are signs that is weakening and most times we see a breakdown in late summer or autumn, and usually a good break with lots of rain.''

REUTERS