Abstract
The climate and hydrology of the Cubberla Creek catchment is quite variable showing both long-term deviations from average and intense short-term variability, in part driven by the El Niño effect. It is useful to examine the longest possible climate record to give insight into this variability. Plant growth is dependent on the pattern of rainfall and climate and integrates the climate signal over periods of months to decades for grass and trees respectively. Tree clearing and other development has almost certainly changed the hydrology of the creek by increasing run-off due to increased areas of hard surfaces and reduced tree transpiration. This development has implications for flooding and erosion as the hard surfaces increase run-off. If we received the rainfall patterns of the 1800s with current levels of development, flooding of the creek and erosion might be more common than indicated on the basis of last century’s statistics. Climate change may well provide surprises outside those captured in the known climate record. Global warming is likely to impact on our local climate within our lifetime.
Data on the climate of the Catchment is listed under the following headings:
Rainfall and climate stations relevant to the Catchment
Monthly climate statistics
Annual rainfall patterns
Extreme events recorded in the Catchment
Climate effects on plant growth
El Niño and rainfall probabilities
Run-off and effects of development
Climate change
These data and graphics provide a picture of the climatic and hydrological characteristics of the Catchments and their broader geophysical region of the Brisbane region – Brisbane City and the Greater Brisbane area.
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