Record-low rainfall in some regions and successive seasons of above-average temperatures have blighted vast tracts of Australia's grazing and crop land.
[...] as grain silos in the south are emptied, desperate owners are being forced to slaughter animals, even if it means it will take years for herds to recover.
[...] The ground in drought-hit regions has dried out to such a depth that it is even killing large trees.
[...] The current dry period is not as extensive as the Millennium drought of 1997-2005, which devastated nearly 50 percent of the country's agricultural land and was associated with two El NiƱo systems, which bring hot, dry weather to Australia.
(Score: 4, Informative) by MostCynical on Wednesday August 08 2018, @07:54AM
Eight droughts since 1900
14 years of drought since 2000
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-26/100-years-of-drought/5282030?pfm=ms [abc.net.au]
https://www.climatechangeinaustralia.gov.au/en/climate-campus/australian-climate-change/australian-trends/ [climatechangeinaustralia.gov.au]
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