Whats the difference between climate change and climate variability?
‘Climate variability’ refers to shorter term (daily, seasonal, annual, inter-annual, several years) variations in climate, including the fluctuations associated with El Nio (dry) or La Nia (wet) events. ‘Climate change’ refers to long term (decades or longer) trends in climate averages such as the global warming that has been observed over the past century, and long term changes in variability (e.g. in the frequency, severity and duration of extreme events). There are many factors influencing the climate system, and these factors or “climate drivers” also interact with each other. It is not currently possible to say whether the apparent changes in climate over the past ten years are a result of natural variability or climate change or both. The South Eastern Australian Climate Initiative will help us understand the extent to which recent climatic shifts can be attributed to various causal factors, including the enhanced greenhouse effect.
