IntroductionThe following is a report on the drought situation in Australia. It will identify the definition of drought, describe the causes of drought, chart the impact of drought in Queensland and present management to help farmers cope with future droughts. The Definition of Drought A drought means that there is not enough precipitation. It is a period of unusually dry weather that lasts long enough to cause environmental or economic problems that lead to water shortages and destroy vegetation, animals and crops. Drought can occur even if there is some precipitation. Bushfires and heatwaves will occur due to the drought. (Francesca.F, 2000)Causes of droughtThere are many causes of drought. The first element concerns the water cycle. Moving clouds and humidity above the atmosphere cannot cause a location to receive the normal amount of precipitation during a given period of time. (Lincoln, 2014). This means there is not enough moisture to create precipitation. For residents who live near a river, most of their water comes from that river. And their drought could be due to reduced precipitation upstream. (ibid.). The drought will lead to water shortages in the region. The most important climatic phenomenon causing drought is the Southern Oscillation. “The Southern Oscillation is a primary change in atmospheric pressure that is a seesaw in atmospheric pressure between an area just north of Australia and the central Pacific Ocean.” (Study Guide 23). It is also linked to El Niño and La Niña. “El Niño is a complex interaction between air and sea in the tropical Pacific. » (Robert, 2013). El Nino means little boy in Spanish and also means unusually high air pressure and sinking air across northern Australia...... middle of paper ...... El Nino air pressure. Drought also has numerous economic, social and environmental impacts. Managing drought comes from daily life and government action. Works Cited Andrew, B. (2013). Drought relief for Queensland farmers. The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory, p1Amanda, M. (2011). How to prepare for a drought. [Online]. Available: www. Kiwihow.com/Prepare-for-a-Drought.Ballard, J. (2012). Drought. England. Liveright Publishing CorporationJames. R. (1989). El Niño and La Niña. El Nino, La Nina and the Southern Oscillation, (46), 12-13.Lincoln. (2014). Causes of drought. [Online]. Available: http://drought.unl.edu/Droughtforkids/whatIsdrought/Causesofdrought.aspx.Oblack, B. (2014). What are the causes of drought. [Online]. Available: Weather.about.com/od/drought/f/Droughts.htm