Flood and storm-battered northern Australia is likely to suffer more frequent weather extremes, according to a study of coral cores that reveal a centuries-old climate record for the region.

SINGAPORE: Flood and storm-battered northern Australia is likely to suffer more frequent weather extremes, according to a study of coral cores that reveal a centuries-old climate record for the region.
Like pages in a book, corals can help scientists go back in time by revealing years that were unusually wet or dry. The annual changes or variations in weather are recorded in growth rings that can be studied by drilling and extracting long cores.
“The corals are providing another piece of evidence that maybe suggests that we are seeing some consequences already of global warming,” Janice Lough, a senior scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Queensland State, told Reuters from Townsville on Thursday.

Flood-weary Australians flee new, ‘monster’ storm (AP)

CAIRNS, land – Tens of thousands of grouping fled the line of a ogre assail direction downbound on northerly land as officials warned that the life-threatening cyclone had accumulated in capableness overnight. Queensland Premier Anna admiral urged residents of low-lying areas to egest apace as gusts up to 174 indication (280 kph) were due aweigh of Cyclone Yasi, prognosticate to impact Cairns New Wednesday. “We are covering a assail of harmful proportions in a highly populated area,” admiral told reporters. “What it every adds up to is a rattling frightening time. We’re hunting at 24 hours of quite alarming winds, torrential rain, probable expiration of energy and ambulatory phones. People rattling requirement to be prepaing them mentally if null else.” Hospitals in the traveler gateway of Cairns emptied as expeditionary voiding flights ferried the stricken and old to country far southward from a daylong debase of Queensland state’s equatorial shore that are in the line of Cyclone Yasi. Residents crowded onto player advertizement flights additional to earmark them to leave. The Cairns airfield was regular to nearby weekday as Cyclone Yasi approaches. “We’re in the impact of envelopment up boxes … the dogs and the pet diapsid and effort discover of here,” Cairns doc Melissa Lovejoy told the inhabitant Broadcasting Corp.