10 April, 2013

Climate Change or Climate Variability

With the Government's mendicant institutions, Climate Institute, CSIRO, Bureau of Meteorology, and the Climate Commission all trotting out statistics and commentary clearly aimed at supporting the Government's Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) mantra, it is refreshing to read some basic comments from an elderly, salt of the earth, western NSW grazier.
In a letter to Bourke's Western Herald, John Oldfield of Belalie Station has written-
"There has been a great deal of discussion this summer about record temperatures. Perhaps the records do not go back very far.
On an old rainfall chart put out by Bourke Stock and Station Agents, Ware and Whittaker in 1953 or 1954, there are rainfall and temperature records.The heatwave of 1939 was still fresh in everybody's memory then. I was a small boy at the time and remember it well. There was no airconditioning and people died.
The average daily maximum for 37 consecutive days was 109 degrees (42.8C) and the maximum for 1939 was 119 dgrees (48C). Measurements were recorded in a weather box beside the Bourke Post Office.
The maximum recorded for Bourke was 125 degrees (52C)  in 1909.

The chart shows average rainfall for 30 years preceding 1939 at 299 mm and for the 30 years before 387 mm. The average rainfall for 76 years from 1878 to 1953 was 345.6 mm.

We obviously have a very variable climate. (My emphasis).

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