While chasing updates for Perth Dam catchments rainfall data I have been hit by how common it is to find a marked fall of in data quality this decade. I want to emphasize I have not searched for these cases, they just jumped out in the normal course of checking data. Then I had a quick look at stations relevant to catchments east of Melbourne incl the Thomson, very poor data there.
I wonder why, considering Australia is widely believed to be in the grip of a national rain / water crisis. Our pioneers have little trouble collecting data reliably for the best part of a century and just when the nation is hit by a downturn in rainfall, the BoM appears to drop the ball on what must be one of its prime reasons for existence. I would suggest there needs to be a reallocation of resources in the BoM; more effort on archiving weather and water data history and presenting it free on the www in a usable form and less resources wasted on climate change fairy stories.
Here are the examples, I have taken a screen shot of the gap ridden recent years and you can click the station name links to see all the data for each station at the new and very useful BoM web page. The columns are monthly rain in mm, Jan to Dec left to right, with the annual total in far right column.
MUNDARING WEIR Site number: 9031 Commenced: 1900, full data to end 1996, missing Jul 1987, then OK till 2001, then just as national “water crisis” hits, missing data increases. First 4 from Perth hills Western Australia then a few from catchments east of Melbourne.
CHURCHMAN BROOK Site number: 9010 Commenced: 1910 Full data to 1971, then various missing years and months until 1986 when data improves until deterioration post 2001 as national “water crisis” hits see image.
WUNGONG DAM Site number: 9044 Commenced: 1911 Full data from 1913 to 1998, then a marked deterioration worsening in recent years as national “water crisis” hits.
SOUTH DANDALUP DAM Site number: 9873 Commenced: 1971 Full data to 2003 then 3 years with missing data, ironic bearing in mind constant WA Govt propaganda about “our drying climate”.
East of Melbourne now.
WOODS POINT Site number: 83033 Commenced: 1884 recent shambles, several missing years. Can there be any importance placed on these data in the BoM ?
MOUNT BAW BAW Site number: 85291 Commenced: 1991 recent shambles.
MURDERERS HILL Site number: 85289 Commenced: 1989 missing 2001 plus
MOUNT USEFUL Site number: 85021 Commenced: 2002 much missing
Gidday Ian, Sorry I have included the GISS format of giving the four seasons D-J-F M-A-M J-J-A S-O-N after Dec, then the final column is labelled metANN which I think is the 1 Dec to 30 Nov met year the GISS uses instead of our Jan – Dec year.
Good news re the data, a fresh update from GISS shows the lost data in 2006 – 2007 is now found. I have added this data, only the 12 months, onto the tail of the original post. There are still missing months in the following years, 1992-1, 1994 – 1, 1995 – 2, 1997 – 1, 1999 – 1, 2004 – 3.
Did you see my post last year on “Deterioration in BoM rainfall data quality this decade”
Lets hope much of this turns up late too.