May 7th, 2013 Category: Climate Change

Australia – May 7th, 2013

Climate change has become a major issue in Australia due to drastic climate events since the turn of the 21st century that have focused government and public attention. Rainfall in Australia has increased slightly over the past century, although there is little or no trend in rainfall in the Western Plateau and the Central Lowlands of Australia. In areas such as Australia’s Channel Country, visible here, scientists have recordings of rainfall dating back to the mid-1800s.

Water sources in the southeastern areas of Australia have depleted due to increasing population in urban areas (rising demand) coupled with climate change factors such as persistent prolonged drought (diminishing supply). At the same time, Australia continues to have the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions.

Tags: Australia Channel Country Climate Change | Comments |

May 21st, 2012 Category: Rivers

Australia - May 15th, 2012

The Channel Country is region of outback Australia located mostly in the state of Queensland but also in portions of South Australia, Northern Territory and New South Wales. The name comes from the numerous intertwined rivulets that cross the region, which cover 150,000 km². Here, those intertwined bodies of water appear as green strands across the region. In the full image, Lake Eyre, the ephemeral lake that receives the drainage from those rivers when there is enough rainfall, can be observed in the lower left corner.

Tags: Australia Channel Country Lake Eyre Queensland South Australia | Comments |

April 5th, 2012 Category: Deserts, Lakes, Rivers

Australia - April 4th, 2012

This images stretches across Australia’s Channel Country to the bright red sands of the Simpson Desert (left edge, above) and the white salt flats by Lake Eyre (lower left quadrant). Channel Country gets its name from the numerous intertwined rivulets that cross the region, which cover 150,000 km².

The region is located mostly in the state of Queensland but also in portions of South Australia, Northern Territory and New South Wales. It features an arid landscape with a series of ancient flood plains from rivers which only flow intermittently. The principal rivers are Georgina River, Cooper Creek and the Diamantina River. When there is sufficient rainfall in their catchment area these rivers flow into Lake Eyre, South Australia.

Tags: Australia Channel Country Lake Eyre Simpson Desert | Comments |

January 23rd, 2012 Category: Deserts, Image of the day, Lakes, Rivers

Australia - December 30th, 2011

The large, orange-red expanse in the upper left quadrant of this image is the Simpson Desert, a large area of dry, red sandy plain and dunes in Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland in central Australia. It is the fourth largest Australian desert, with an area of 176,500 km² (68,100 sq mi).

Visible east of the desert is Australia’s Channel Country, a region of outback Australia located mostly in the state of Queensland but also in portions of South Australia, Northern Territory and New South Wales. The Channel Country features an arid landscape with a series of ancient flood plains from rivers which only flow intermittently. The numerous intertwined rivulets that cross the region cover 150,000 km². The principal rivers are Georgina River, Cooper Creek and the Diamantina River.

When there is sufficient rainfall in their catchment area these rivers flow into Lake Eyre, South Australia. Here, the land around the rivulets appears brown, indicating little water flowing through them and causing green vegetation to flourish, and Lake Eyre is mostly white, indicating that water has dried up and left salt flats exposed.

Tags: Australia Channel Country Cooper Creek Diamantina River Georgina River New South Wales Northern Territory Queensland Simpson Desert South Australia | Comments |