Flood blamed on 'little girl'

摘要

The strongest La Nifla for decades combined with a monsoonal low-pressure zone has been blamed for the megaf loods in the Australian state of Queensland. La Niria, an interaction between the atmosphere and the oceans, has trapped warm water at the coast fuelling cloud development and rainfall. At the same time a low-pressure trough has dragged moisture from north-westerly monsoonal winds into the region, also encouraging heavy rain. "With the La Nina and monsoonal trough, conditions were absolutely set for these floods to occur," says Jonathan Nott, a geoscientist at James Cook University in Cairns, Queensland.