Australia’s history of drought has given US scientists a glimpse of their future at home, with a team visiting drought-stricken areas to see what may lie ahead.

Two American riverine systems experts will spend several weeks investigating the health of rivers in far western NSW, which have been undergoing a prolonged drought phase.

Professor Martin Thoms from the University of New England’s Riverine Landscapes Research Lab says unfortunately, Australia is about the best place to investigate the impact of extended drought.

“We have less water in our rivers and a lower rate of run-off than anywhere else and a huge portion of our country produces almost no run-off at all. To add to that dynamic mix of environmental factors, our rainfall and stream-flow are the most variable in the world,” Prof Thoms said

“It might be hard to find someone with a good word to say about a drought, but the reality is our river systems have adapted to handle that boom and bust cycle, which means our river’s secrets could potentially help our US friends as they encounter climate change and a drier landscape.”

Dr Bill Richardson from the US Geological Survey and Dr Joe Flotemersch from the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) will work with Professor Thoms on a number of projects during their visit. The American scientists will reportedly bring access to a wide range of investigative tools from satellite based remote sensing to extensive computer flood plain modelling capacity.

“They have the tools and we have the questions, so the visit down under by the US team will help us both,” Prof Thoms said.