A climate change-driven rise in temperature in the Pacific region could mean more droughts in Australia, climate scientists have found.

The region will have significant temperature changes, which will affect the natural El Nino – La Nina weather cycle, according to new research published in Nature Geoscience.

ABC News quoted today one of the report’s authors, Scott Power, as saying that the cycle and temperatures in the Pacific have a direct link to drought conditions in Australia.

“It’s really important that we understand how global warming is going to impact that natural cycle,” he said. ”But also the impact that that natural cycle is going to have on place like Australia and our Pacific neighbours.”