Is Australia still in drought? Post summer Update March 08

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Monday 3 March 2008

MEDIA BRIEFING: Is Australia still in drought? Post-summer update

Transcripts now available

As much of eastern Australia mops up from recent rains, parts of southern Australia continue to endure a record dry. To coincide with the release of summer data, the Australian Science Media Centre has brought together several key stakeholders to provide a national snapshot on the latest conditions.

The national media briefing included a drought update from the Murray Darling Basin Commission, a review of summer rainfall and temperatures from the Bureau of Meteorology and the latest dam levels for each of the capital cities.

Please visit the Murray Darling Basin Commission website for a copy of their drought update media release.

PRESENTERS WERE:

	Neil Plummer, Acting Superintendent, National Climate Centre, Bureau of Meteorology \| PowerPoint presentation (pdf) \| Audio (MP3 - 2Mb) \| Transcript
	Dr Wendy Craik, Chief Executive, Murray Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) \| PowerPoint presentation (pdf) \| Audio (MP3 - 2Mb) \| Transcript
	Ross Young, Executive Director, Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) \| PowerPoint presentation (pdf) \| Audio (MP3 - 2.8Mb) \| Transcript
	Jenny Cupit, Acting General Manager, Drought and Exceptional Circumstances, Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) \| PowerPoint presentation (pdf) \| Audio (MP3 - 1.1Mb) \| Transcript
	Discussion Audio (MP3 - 3.5Mb) Approx 15 min \| Transcript

WATCH A REPLAY OF THE FULL BRIEFING NOW
(nb: The 1st minute of the event is unavailable)

Questions answered included:

• Despite recent floods, is Australia still in drought?
• Has heavy rain had much impact on the Murray Darling Basin?
• What are the current projections for irrigation in the Murray Darling Basin?
• What’s the forecast for autumn and what’s the latest on La Niña?
• How have Australians responded to water restrictions this summer?
• Have recent rainfalls across some areas benefited storages that serve our cities?

Briefing Details:

DATE: Monday 3 March 2008

TIME: 11am AEDT

VENUE: Canberra & Online

DURATION: 55 min

For further information, please contact the AusSMC on 08 8207 7415.

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