Hi all,

From Australia

I saw a fascinating programme on the TV the other week, sorry I don't recall
where, but probably the science show on the ABC www.abc.net.au/quantum
The gist of it was this.
Over the south pole, the hole in the ozone layer is getting larger,
meanwhile the greenhouse effect is increasing marginally from year to year.
The combination of the two has somehow increased the strength of the winds
that circulate around the south pole throughout the year in a clockwise
motion.

The effect of this is that the increased wind velocity is pulling the winter
rain clouds down from central continental Australia to the southernmost
parts of Australia and Tasmania. The upshot is that the mainland will get
drier and Tassie wetter. More drought on the mainland will mean less
productivity and therefore a drop in GDP. Most probably the same will be
happening to South America, too.

More doom and gloom. It is interesting, though, that Tassie, in this
winter, has seen the most rain and the highest winds in a long time. When I
first came here is was common to get still sunny days in winter most of the
time. Now its usually very windy and wet. Maybe one or two days of
sunshine per week.

I see the North Pole is having its problems too, with a huge ice shelf that
has been there for many years suddenly collapsing and sending thousands of
tonnes of fresh water into the ocean. I wonder what that will do for the
plankton and other life around there? And, eventually, to the weather
around Northern Europe.

This roller coaster just gets wilder and wilder.

Judanne in Tassie