The Australian dust bowl

Abstract

Many readers will remember the dust storms that swept across Western Australia, South Australia and the western parts of New South Wales and Victoria in May 1994. It is estimated that these storms removed 10-15 million tonnes of topsoil from major farming districts and transported it across much of the continenet. Understanding the cause and effect of these major dust events is important, as their economic impact can be considerable, both in Australia, and in other countries wehre they occur, such as North America and Africa.