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Droughts in Australia
Australia has suffered severe droughts in its northern and eastern regions during many EL
Niņo years. These droughts have reduced crop yields, killed livestock, eroded soils and
encouraged destructive bush fires. The El Niņo event of 1982-83 coincided with a drought
that may have been the worst for 100 years. The 1982 winter rains (June -September) failed
over the south-eastern grain and pasture areas of Australia. In northern New South Wales
and southern Queensland, the summer rains (December 1982 to February 1983) also failed.
The drought was broken in the autumn (March to May) of 1983 by torrential rains in eastern
Australia. Sheep, weakened by the drought, suffered severely: many were drowned or
starved, and foot-rot caused many lengthier deaths.
The drought exacerbated land degradation. Powder-dry soils blew away in the wind. A dust
storm on Feb 8-9 1983 blew away an estimated 150 000 tons of soil from farms in north-west
Victoria. More than 11 000 tons of dust landed on Melbourne; some was blown as far as New
Zealand.
Bush fires killed 72 people and left 8000 homeless. They caused the deaths of about 300
000 animals, and property damage estimated at A $400 million. When the rains finally came,
the burned areas were severely eroded, some having lost as much as 43 tons of soil per
hectare.
Wildlife losses were not well documented but estimates suggests that up to 70% of the
kangaroo population in commercial shootings zones died between November 1982-1983.
The total cost of the 1982-83 El Niņo in Australia was estimated at more than US $2500
million.
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