Agribusiness

Get your summer rainfall Mojo right here

Sheep Central, November 5, 2014
New climate dog Mojo

New climate dog Mojo

New climate dog, Mojo, that “works wet weather” and can help farmers understand whether summer rainfall is likely, has been unleashed by the Bureau Of Meteorology.

The latest addition to the colorful Climatedog pack, Mojo, is now ready to show farmers and weather buffs how the Madden-Julian oscillation can drive summer rainfall and affect local seasonal conditions, in YouTube’s top paddock, http://youtu.be/eov0_LaMBVQ.

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) climate impacts and adaptation leader, Tim Sides, said as part of the Climatedogs animation series Mojo is helping the public understand the impacts of an important driver of summer rainfall.

“Madden-Julian oscillation is traditionally active during our monsoon period from November to April, which can lead to rain events in NSW,” Mr Sides said.

“Mojo has been inactive during the 2013-14 monsoon period and farmers in parched summer cropping areas will be hoping Mojo can deliver much-needed rain to lift soil moisture reserves and dam levels this season.

“A sometimes working dog, Mojo, like his namesake, can be unpredictable, operating independently of climate dog Enso, the El Nin-o southern oscillation, another variable phenomena which impacts on our climate.”

Mr Sides said Mojo can be an indicator of summer rainfall, depending on “whether the rest of the climate dogs were working as a pack or whether he is trying to do it all by himself.”

“If he is trying to do it all by himself then the likelihood of him delivering any rain is less likely than with assistance,” he said.

“If farmers follow Mojo through the BOM information that is available on the website and look at the rest of the forecasting tools that go with it, that is definitely a tool that can help farmers understand whether they are going to get summer rainfall or not.”

In the Climatedogs kennel, Mojo and Enso are important drivers of our variable climate along with Ridgy – the subtropical ridge, Indy – Indian Ocean dipole, Sam – southern annular mode and Eastie – east coast low.

These often unruly climate dogs form a series of amusing animations which has been developed by NSW DPI, Victorian Department of Environment & Primary Industries and the Cotton Research and Development Corporation to explain complex climate drivers and atmospheric features.

The project worked closely with the Bureau of Meteorology with some funding assistance provided through the Australian Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative.

Get your Mojo back-in-behind and check out his kennel companions on the DPI website, http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/resources/climate-and-weather/variability/climatedogs

Source: NSW DPI and BOM

The Madden-Julian oscillation can be tracked on the Bureau of Meteorology website,http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/mjo/

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