Paul Rosser 
March gave us 28.5mm pushing our YTD up to 40.0mm. This came in two batches, one of 20mm in early March & 8.5mm in mid March.
How this compares with previous years since 2012:
2026 28.5mm (4) 40.0mm (9)
2025 3.5mm 13.0mm
2024 3.0mm 37.0mm
2023 32.0mm (2) 58.0mm (=7)
2022 4.5mm 73.5mm (4)
2021 20.0mm 59.5mm (6)
2020 8.5mm 58.0mm (=7)
2019 4.0mm 10.0mm
2018 8.5mm 18.0mm
2017 7.0mm 83.5mm (3)
2016 29.5mm (3) 94.0mm (2 – 1 Cyclone Feb)
2015 7.5mm 46.0mm (8)
2014 8.0mm 68.0mm (5 – 1 Cyclone Feb)
2013 15.0mm 34.0mm
2012 40.0mm (1) 115.0mm (1 – 1 Cyclone Feb)
This March was our fourth wettest March since 2012 but ninth in terms of YTD, with the three heaviest containing evidence that WA Cyclones do help to top up our tanks.
The predictions for the next three months to the end of June are:
- Rain to be average at the best,
- Temperatures higher during day light hours & at night,
- Soil moisture will be around average,
- Seas will be above average temperature &
- Oceans will be neutral according to the latest data.
Who’s heard of Cape Grim or KennaGook?
Kennagook is the First Nations name for the Cape Grim on the south west coat of Tasmania. Did you know that there is a Premier Global Baseline Weather Station there? It has been measuring the westerly winds circling the globe for the last 50 years.
In particular the CO2 record is quite worrying. In 1976 the parts per million (PPM) of CO2 in the atmosphere was 320ppm & today it stands at 420ppm. Core ice samples from the Australian bases in Antarctica go back to the year 1 when the ppm was recorded as 270ppm. That figure was a constant until the 1760’s when the Industrial Revolution commenced. By 1976 it had gone from 270 to 320ppm to the current 420ppm today.
Thinking people are worried about the massive increase since the 1760’s, 270ppm to 420ppm. Secondly, the two baseline sites, Cape Grim (CSIRO run) & Mauna Loa in Hawaii (US Weather Station), are both being squeezed financially. The Trump Government which doesn’t believe in Climate Change are closing Hawaii down completely, while our Australian Government is reducing funding to the CSIRO which includes the Environmental Research Unit, with a resultant 100person job loss.
I know letters are unfashionable these days but our local Federal Members, both independent & labour need to be questioning why we who believe in Climate Change are reducing the role of our major contributor to Earth Science. A letter or an email from you may be a practical way of reversing what is a pretty poor decision?
By the way Mauna Loa was the station that first reported the high Ozone layers that brought about the international efforts to reduce them.
That’s it for March. Save petrol, by staying home & doing some Village Volunteering.
Paul
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