Farming expert sets the scene

In February this year, the Wealth from Oceans Flagship held the "Oceans to Rain" science workshop in Launceston. The aim of this workshop was to discuss the science issues and drivers likely to affect future directions of this research which is examining ocean based forecasts of Australian climate.

The Flagship's science leaders attended the meeting and an invitation was extended to Queensland farmer, Wayne Newton, to present at the workshop. Wayne shared with the group his considerable knowledge and experience regarding oceans, climate and farm management and followed this with his letter to Queensland Country Life, which we have reproduced below.

Wayne Newton – farming visionary

Wayne is a farmer near Dalby on the Darling Downs in SE Queensland and with his family has a 900ha farm growing dryland grain and cotton. Wayne, a pioneer in development of minimum tillage farming technology in northern Australia in the early eighties, has a keen interest in research and is on the Queensland Agforce Grains Ltd board and is also a director on the Queensland Grain Research Foundation. He has been a director and past chair of the Conservation Farmers, and immediate past chair of the Darling Downs Research Advisory committee.

An early believer in long range seasonal outlooks, this interest has seen Wayne invited to travel to and address a committee of the American Academy of Science in the USA. He has a keen interest in spreading sustainable and profitable farming technology and promoting young farmers. Wayne is now working to build a grower-owned ethanol plant on the Darling Downs using sorghum to provide a more profitable outlet for grain and to supply a sustainable liquid fuel.

Wayne's article on oceans and climate

The following is a letter by Wayne Newton, published in Queensland Country Life in February this year, about the impact of the oceans on our climate, following his presentation at the Flagship workshop.

I recently presented at a CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship workshop looking at updating the scientists in the divisions of CSIRO working on the effect of climate change and climate forecasting with special regard to the oceans.

The exciting news is that a lot is happening. The oceans around Australia are key factors effecting our weather, climate, and the changes that are occurring will have large effects on our farming systems.

It is undeniable that global warming is occurring. The question still is how much is due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels, and how much is some larger global influence that is still far from understood.

We are seeing significant changes in climate in north east Australia, with major drying out of much of Queensland, while the north of Western Australia is receiving more rain.

Farmers will need to adapt to these changes, as it will lead necessarily to major changes in crop types, time of year or planting, or intensity of cropping.

And these changes are happening now, with significant changes being discovered within the past twelve months. On a concerning note, major ocean currents that have huge consequences on global and Australian weather and climate patterns are showing signs of major change. These changes have been found in the North Atlantic, and recently confirmed in the Southern Ocean. These currents are slowing down, showing significant changes in chemistry (including increased acidity due to more dissolved carbon dioxide), and especially temperature.

No one yet knows the full implications or cause of these discoveries, and it is looking like some these changes have been underway for up to several hundred years, predating global warming from the greenhouse effect.

The one thing we do know is the change is happening and will continue to happen.
 

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The Wealth from Oceans Flagship is a CSIRO initiative and part of the National Research Flagships program that aims to deliver scientific solutions to advance Australia's most important national objectives. One of the largest scientific initiatives ever mounted in Australia, it aligns closely with the Federal Government's National Research Priorities. The initiative brings together our national research resources to deliver breakthroughs in fields ranging from healthcare to light metals and the environment.