58 THE CLIMATE OF AUSTRALASIA 



When anticyclonic conditions prevail on 

 land, cyclonic conditions, with extra rainfall, 

 are developed at sea. Thus, when a 

 smaller percentage of rain falls on land, a 

 larger percentage should fall on the sea. 

 There are no records of the annual rainfall at 

 fixed stations out at sea, and but too few on 

 the small oceanic islarids ; but the coast stations 

 share in the meteorological conditions preva- 

 lent in the adjacent oceans. Hence, when the 

 centre of the continents lie under their anti- 

 cyclonic conditions, and are passing through 

 dry years, the coastal regions are undergoing 

 cyclonic conditions and periods of compara- 

 tively heavy rainfall. Therefore, the Caspian 

 and great inland lakes should be emptiest, 

 when the coastal lakes are fullest. 



This fact is abundantly established by 

 historical records, and it shews us that we 

 cannot expect all the rainfall records or all 

 the lake levels of a great continent to rise 

 and fall together. The movement will be a 

 great see-saw, the interior and coastal districts 

 varying inversely. This important fact is well 

 illustrated by the rainfall returns for Australia. 

 For example, rainfall curves for localities in 

 the western plains of New South Wales and 

 at Horsham in north-western Victoria vary in 

 common (fig. 1 1 ). If now we look at the rainfall 

 curve for one of those localities and contrast it 

 with that of Sydney, we find that the conditions 

 are reversed (fig. 1 2). When the rainfall is heavy 



