Title: Analysis of the 160 years' time series of daily rainfall in Brisbane

Authors: Alberto Boretti

Addresses: Johnsonville Road, Johnsonville, Wellington 6037, New Zealand

Abstract: The composite time series of daily rainfall for Brisbane from 1860 to 2022 shows evidence of natural oscillations and the absence of any growing or reducing trend. The linear trend has a slope of only -2 μm/year, which is statistically insignificant. Similarly insignificant is the acceleration, calculated as double the 2nd order coefficient of the parabolic trend, at +0.02 μm/year². Higher than February 2022 single-day rainfall, three-day consecutive rainfall, or single-month rainfall, were measured in the past. The natural oscillations have, amongst others, clear inter-annual, decadal, and multi-decadal cycles, of lengths slightly less than 10, about 20, about 40, and 65-80 years (quasi-60 years). We conclude that the climate for south-eastern Queensland is characterised by a fairly stable rainfall pattern, dominated by wet and dry cycles.

Keywords: Australia; droughts; floods; natural variability; rainfall.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2023.130132

International Journal of Global Warming, 2023 Vol.29 No.4, pp.305 - 317

Received: 14 Apr 2022
Received in revised form: 22 Jun 2022
Accepted: 05 Jul 2022
Published online: 05 Apr 2023 *

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