Understanding the surface hydrology of the Lake Eyre Basin: Part 1 - Rainfall

Abstract

This is the first of two papers that describe the surface hydrology of the Lake Eyre Basin (LEB) (1,140,000 km2) in central Australia and compares some key characteristics with those observed from arid regions globally. This paper concentrates on annual rainfall, whereas the second paper is devoted to streamflow. The first part describes the LEB's climate (arid to semi-arid), which is dominated by a subtropical high pressure ridge stretching latitudinally across central Australia. Then follow major analyses that include the characteristics of rainfall, wet and dry spell lengths and cumulative surpluses and deficiencies, rainfall trends and intra- and inter-decadal fluctuations, and the relat..