Science Centres: Climate
April
March's climate
Global setting & climate outlook
Feature article
A monthly newsletter from the National Climate Centre.
April 2007 – Number 94
March – devastating floods in Northland, but, in marked contrast, the rest of the month was warm and sunny in most of New Zealand, with low rainfall in the east. Apart from in Northland, river and stream flows were low.
Outlook for April to June – possibly more southwesterly winds than usual over southern New Zealand, with average to below average air temperatures in the south.
Climate change – impacts on New Zealand agriculture
IPCC Fourth Assesssment Report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its Fourth Assessment Report, has released further information on climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability.
Key findings for New Zealand agriculture, excerpted below, are taken from the final draft of the report, Chapter 11: Australia and New Zealand.
New Zealand climate in March
River flows (click to enlarge).
Temperature (click to enlarge).
Historical daily rainfall records were swept aside in eastern parts of Northland as exceptionally high rainfall rates produced flooding and extensive infrastructure damage at the end of the month.
Global setting and climate outlook
Pacific conditions near neutral but ENSO, signals mixed
Difference from average global SST (click to enlarge).
Monthly SOI values (click to enlarge).
The tropical Pacific is showing some signs of a move towards La Niña, but signals are mixed, suggesting a level of uncertainty that is typical for this time of year. Pacific equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) remain above normal to the west of the Date Line, but there is development of an enhanced ‘cold tongue’ in SSTs off the South American coast.
