Wind Erosion in Western Queensland Australia

Chapter 7 – Land Erodibility Dynamics 1980-2006Mulga Lands to receive a less pronounced peak in rainfall over summer and a response tohigher winter rainfall (McTainsh et al., 1998).Inter-Annual VariabilityRegional changes in erodible land (Figure 7.2), and weak seasonal variability (Figure 7.4)suggest that land erodibility dynamics in western Queensland are driven by forcingmechanisms operating at longer (> monthly) time scales. Figure 7.5 shows the annualpercentage area of each bioregion covered by land with modelled high, moderate, low and nosusceptibility to wind erosion.Figure 7.5 Graphs of annual proportional abundance (percentage cover) of land in the four study areabioregions classified into four land erodibility groups: high, moderate, low, and not erodible.Land erodibility dynamics differ markedly between the four bioregions in westernQueensland. In the Mulga Lands, land erodibility displays cyclic behaviour, with alternatingperiods of high and low susceptibility to wind erosion. In years of reduced erodibility (e.g.1984, 1990-91, 1999-2001) the Mulga Lands appear to ‘shut down’ in terms of the area178