Impact of the southern oscillation on australian crops

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Abstract
Climate plays a major role in determining variations in Australian crop production. The El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon is an important mode of climatic variation affecting the Australian region. Interannual fluctuations of Australian crop production and ENSO might thus be expected to be quite closely related. Analysis of the limited data available at present suggests that fluctuations in some Australian crops are in fact associated with ENSO and may be predictable, well in advance of harvest, from observed sea‐surface temperatures around northern Australia.