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Climate Data Analysis

The purpose of this study was to analyse 60 years worth of climate and weather data in Western Queensland to enable farmers to make better informed management decisions.

Better decision making through understanding weather and climate trends

Most climate data available to farmers and land managers is model-based and often derived from external sources, leading to concerns about its reliability. Since this information is not localized, it may not accurately reflect the specific conditions on their land, which can undermine their trust in its usefulness.

Using advanced statistical techniques and expert knowledge, we have been working with our Nodes to analysis multiple towns across the region to help land managers better understand weather patterns and climate trends more clearly, enabling them to make better decisions for their farming practices and achieve better results.

The analysis for Southern Gulf NRM region has been completed with other regions underway. 

Climate Data Analysis for Southern Gulf NRM region
Data sourced from the local post office recordings of Burketown, Julia Creek, Cloncurry, Mt Isa, Richmond, Hughenden, and McKinlay was chosen to analyse the rainfall, high and low temperatures, evaporation, and water use by crops over 60 years (1963-2022). The goals were to make graphs, draw trend lines, and calculate how sure we are about these trends.
 
The study used a method called block bootstrap to calculate confidence intervals, repeating the analysis 10,000 times. Trends were classified as increasing, decreasing, or no change based on these intervals. Results were shown in heatmaps and tables for yearly, seasonal, and monthly periods.
 
The analysis helps understand weather patterns, which is useful for making decisions about farming and other activities. The study also looked at heatwaves and their effect on cattle, especially during calving. It focused on days when temperatures went above 35, 37, 40, and 42 degrees Celsius, including how often these temperatures lasted for more than three days.

For more details about the climate analysis, please contact Transformational Agricultural Systems Program Lead, Ben Jarihani 0491 301 163 or ben.jarihani@jcu.edu.au   

Click here to read the analysis in your browser

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This program received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of this country and pay our respects to the Traditional Owners and Elders, past and present, of the land on which we stand today, the Djabugay (pronounced Jap-ur-kai), Yirrganydji (pronounced Irri-kan-dji) and the Gimuy Yidinji (pronounced Goom-eye Yidinji) people (and all other country/people joining us today). In the spirit of reconciliation, we also acknowledge the valuable contribution that Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to make to James Cook University and the broader community.

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