The implications of a decade of drought in Australia (1996-2007)

In Australia, a persistent drought extending over a 5 to 10 years duration has pro-duced severe water restrictions for over 90 percent of water users in the nation. The effects of the 1996-2007 drought relative to other droughts and the implications of the drought in terms of water resource management are described using a number of case studies. The relationship between climate change and natural variability of stream flow are also discussed. Large parts of Australia have been transformed from productive regions into regions with little or no runoff and a severe reduction in pro-duction. Some irrigators have no water allocated to them and residents of major capital cities have had water restrictions placed upon them as volumes in water supply dams fell below 25 % of full storage. The linkages between climate driving mechanisms of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Inter-decadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) are discussed in terms of their ability to define the increased chances of severe drought when they occur. The apparent severity of the 1996-2007 droughts has been exacerbated by the reliance placed on allocations of water and growth in the catchment since the Federation Drought of 1895-1903