SYDNEY, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Dramatic climate-driven changes in the upper atmosphere are driving worsening droughts and bushfires across southern Australia, new research warns.

This aerial picture taken on January 8, 2025 shows small reservoirs in a drought-affected paddock in the district of Wildwood, located on the outskirts of Melbourne. (File photo: AFP)

Scientists from Australia's University of Technology Sydney (UTS) reported Friday that the fast-flowing jet stream air currents about 8-10 km above the continent have moved roughly 1,000 km south since 2015, diverting rain-bearing cold fronts away from southern Australia.

This means southern Australia has experienced at least 25 percent less annual rainfall, causing severe droughts between Perth and Melbourne, two Australian state capitals.

This shift is due to climate change from increased greenhouse gas emissions that continue to warm the oceans and atmosphere. As the world keeps warming, the jet streams will be pushed further poleward, wrote the authors of the study published in the Climate journal.

The latest dry spell, which began in 2023, continues into February 2026. Major cities, including Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, have turned to desalination plants to maintain water supply as reservoirs slump to record lows.

The parched conditions have fueled catastrophic bushfires this summer, burning more than 430,000 hectares in the state of Victoria, the authors said.

Researchers warn that a possible return of El Nino later this year could intensify heat and drought, which severely impact agricultural production, water supplies and ecosystems.