Rangeland Ecology & Management

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The Utility Of Forecasting Summer Rainfall And Modelled Pasture Growth In The Mitchell Grasslands Of Western Queensland
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arsbc-2002-318-320.pdf
Author
Park, J.N.
Cobon, D.H.
Simpson, G.B.
Clewett, J.F.
Publisher
The Australian Rangeland Society
Publication Year
2002
Body

Climate has a large impact on vegetation and animal production in northern Australia. The length of
the dry season, variable annual rainfall, extreme temperatures and high evaporation rates make
managing pastoral enterprises difficult. Seasonal climate forecasts based on the El Niño Southern
Oscillation (ENSO) can potentially be useful to graziers, particularly if forecasts can be issued with
long lead -times and blended with animal and pasture management practices. Previous studies have
shown large changes in rainfall (27 %) and larger changes in pasture growth (35 %) associated with
changes in the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) (Park et al. 2001). These results indicate a potential
benefit in forecasting pasture growth compared to rainfall. This paper evaluates the potential use of
long lead seasonal forecasts using summer rainfall and pasture growth.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Paper
Additional Information
2 - 5 September, 2002
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia 
ISSN 0-9596923-3-9
Conference Name
Australian Rangeland Society 12th Biennial Conference
Collection
Australian Rangelands
Keywords
grasslands
rainfall
weather forecasting
management
pastures
summer
Northern Australia