The Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) project is a new initiative established by the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). This project is currently being undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) in partnership with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
The project will develop a set of national indicators for measuring and forecasting the extent and severity of drought impacts in the Australian agricultural sector. The project will combine climate data with agricultural models to generate ‘outcome-based’ drought indicators translating climate data into specific agricultural impacts (such as crop yields, pasture growth and farm business outcomes).
These indicators will be forward looking accounting for both historical weather data and BOM seasonal forecasts, and they will be produced nationally on high resolution (approximately 5 km). At the completion of the first phase of this project these indicators will be published online via the prototype Climate Services for Agriculture (CSA) platform currently under development by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and CSIRO with funding from the Future Drought Fund.
Overview of the proposed Drought Early Warning System
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The Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) Project - Report (PDF 688 KB)
The Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) Project - Report (DOCX 2.8 MB)
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