Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Workshop: A Cross-Biome Synthesis Of Ecosystem Response To Global Warming; October 1998 In Santa Barbara, Ca, Ivan J. Fernandez, Lindsey Rustad

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Greenhouse gas emissions are expected to increase mean global temperature by 3-5 C in the next 50-100 years. The consequences of this warming for primary ecosystem processes are not yet understood, and have become tile focus of an emergent field of ecological research. This project will bring together a multi-disciplinary, international group of scientists representing 22 soil/air warming sites from seven countries to synthesize the current knowledge on the effects of elevated temperature on terrestrial ecosystems. In addition, the participants will use this forum to discuss and launch a new GCTE Ecosystem Warming Consortium, which will have far reaching effects …

Application Of Tree-Structured Regression For Regional Precipitation Prediction Using General Circulation Model Output, Xiangshang Li, David J. Sailor

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study presents a tree-structured regression (TSR) method to relate daily precipitation with a variety of free-atmosphere variables. Historical data were used to identify distinct weather patterns associated with differing types of precipitation events. Models were developed using 67% of the data for training and the remaining data for model validation. Seasonal models were built for each of 2 US sites: San Francisco, California, and San Antonio, Texas. The average correlation between observed and simulated daily precipitation data series is 0.75 for the training set and 0.68 for the validation set. Relative humidity was found to be the dominant variable …

Announcements: Fall 2000

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

Contents:

2000 National Disaster Medical System Conference

Management Strategies to Mitigate Drought in the Mediterranean: Monitoring, Risk Analysis and Contingency Planning

Potential Use Of Noaa/Avhrr Satellite Data For Monitoring Environmental Change In Turkey, Ali Umran Komuscu

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

In Turkey, desertification has been taking place in areas of low rainfall and minimal vegetative cover. In particular, the central, eastern, and southeastern parts of the country are vulnerable to desertification because of erosion, deforestation, and degradation of vegetative cover. Rivers of those regions are characterized by very high sediment yields. Nearly 60% of the country’s soils are subjected to severe erosion and approximately 450 million tons of sediment are carried to rivers each year. Meanwhile, wind erosion has been a very effective desertification process in central and southeastern parts of the country, where annual rainfall varies around 400–500 mm/year. …

Workshop On Drought-Related Issues In Fars Province, Iran: Critical Points And Resolutions, M. J. Nazemosadat, S. Amin, A. A. Kamgare-Haghighi, D. Khalili

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

As a result of the occurrence of overwhelming severe drought over most parts of the Islamic Republic of Iran, an educational/professional workshop on drought issues was held at the College of Agriculture, Shiraz University in Iran, October 18–19, 2000. The workshop was sponsored by the College of Agriculture, the office of Fars Provincial Government, the Agricultural Bank, and Shiraz Abfa Company. The workshop was mainly focused on the assessment of drought impacts and severity in Fars province, in the southern part of Iran.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by some of the parliament members (from Fars province), the Chancellor of …

Improving Drought Early Warning Systems In The Context Of Drought Preparedness And Mitigation, Donald A. Wilhite, M. V. K. Sivakumar, Deborah Wood

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

Effective drought early warning systems are an integral part of efforts worldwide to improve drought preparedness. Timely and reliable data and information must be the cornerstone of effective drought policies and plans. In pursuit of the goal of improving the effectiveness of drought early warning systems, participants of the experts meeting were asked to address three fundamental questions:

1. What is your assessment of the current status of drought early warning systems?
2. What are the shortcomings, limitations, and needs for drought early warning systems?
3. How can drought early warning systems be improved to better support drought preparedness and …

Using The Spi To Monitor The 1999-2000 Drought In Northeastern Argentina, Roberto Zanvettor, Andres Ravelo

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

Drought risk is a major concern across many regions of Argentina because precipitation is extremely variable. One of these regions, the Pampas, is the main agricultural and livestock production area, extending over 60 million hectares. This region was recently surveyed to detect, monitor, and assess the occurrence of drought using a network of 27 meteorological stations and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), developed by McKee et al. (1993). The SPI has various categories that define drought intensities. A period is considered humid when the SPI value is greater than +1 and a period is considered dry when the value of …

From The Director: Fall 2000, Donald A. Wilhite

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

The NDMC hosted the first annual “Drought Monitor Forum” in November. Most of the readers of Drought Network News are probably aware of the Drought Monitor web site (http://enso.unl.edu/ monitor/index.html) and the products that are provided to users. (Mark Svoboda of the NDMC provided an overview of the Drought Monitor product in the Winter/Spring 2000 issue of Drought Network News.) This weekly product, jointly produced by the NDMC, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, has been widely accepted in the United States, and other countries are considering the adoption of a similar technique for mapping drought …

The Influence Of Wave– And Zonal Mean–Ozone Feedbacks On The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, Eugene Cordero, Terrence R. Nathan

Faculty Publications, Meteorology and Climate Science

The effects of wave and zonal mean ozone heating on the evolution of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) are examined using a two-dimensional mechanistic model of the equatorial stratosphere. The model atmosphere is governed by coupled equations for the zonal mean and (linear) wave fields of ozone, temperature, and wind, and is driven by specifying the amplitudes of a Kelvin wave and a Rossby–gravity wave at the lower boundary. Wave–mean flow interactions are accounted for in the model, but not wave–wave interactions.

A reference simulation (RS) of the QBO, in which ozone feedbacks are neglected, is carried out and the results …

The Influence Of Wave– And Zonal Mean–Ozone Feedbacks On The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, Eugene Cordero, Terrence R. Nathan

Eugene C. Cordero

The effects of wave and zonal mean ozone heating on the evolution of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) are examined using a two-dimensional mechanistic model of the equatorial stratosphere. The model atmosphere is governed by coupled equations for the zonal mean and (linear) wave fields of ozone, temperature, and wind, and is driven by specifying the amplitudes of a Kelvin wave and a Rossby–gravity wave at the lower boundary. Wave–mean flow interactions are accounted for in the model, but not wave–wave interactions.

A reference simulation (RS) of the QBO, in which ozone feedbacks are neglected, is carried out and the results …

The Effect Of Spatial And Temporal Accumulation Rate Variability In West Antarctica On Soluble Ion Deposition, K. J. Kreutz, Paul Andrew Mayewski, L. D. Meeker, M. S. Twickler, S. I. Whitlow

Earth Science Faculty Scholarship

Annually‐dated snowpit and ice core records from two areas of West Antarctica are used to investigate spatial accumulation patterns and to evaluate temporal accumulation rate/glaciochemical concentration and flux relationships. Mean accumulation rate gradients in Marie Byrd Land (11–23 gcm⁻²yr⁻¹ over 150 km, decreasing to the south) and Siple Dome (10–18 gcm⁻²yr⁻¹ over 60 km, decreasing to the south) are consistent for at least the last several decades, and demonstrate the influence of the offshore quasi‐permanent Amundsen Sea low pressure system on moisture flux into the region. Local and regional‐scale topography in both regions appears …

The Climatic Impact Of La Niña-Related Droughts In Entre Rios (Argentina), Alicia E. Codromaz De Rojas

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

The National Institute of Tecnologia Agropecuaria (INTA) at Parana, Entre Rios (Argentina), has a farming experimental station (E.E.A.) located at 31.5°S and 60.31°W, 110m above sea level. A meteorological observatory has existed at the site since 1934.

The region has a temperate humid climate and receives an average annual rainfall total of 1,000 mm. Distribution is monsoonal, with October–April rains accounting for 73% of the annual total.

Since August 1998, the area has been affected by La Niña, and experts expected the conditions of the cold episode to persist into 2000. The La Niña event in the humid Pampean region …

Announcements: Summer 2000

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

Contents:

Disaster Management Workshops

Fifth Annual Conference on Crises and Disasters Management

DROUGHT 2000 Conference: Impacts, Policy, and Technology

16th Annual International Conference on Contaminated Soils, Sediments and Water

Conclusions And Recommendations From The Central And Eastern European Workshop On Drought Mitigation

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

The importance of prevention and planning in drought mitigation was the impetus for the Central and Eastern European Workshop on Drought Mitigation, held April 12–15, 2000, in Budapest-Felsoőgöd, Hungary. The workshop was organized and sponsored by several Hungarian agencies: the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Ministry for Environment; Ministry of Transport, Communication and Water Management; Research and Development Division of the Ministry of Education; and Hungarian Meteorological Service. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), European Commission Joint Research Centre (EC JRC–ISPRA), European Regional …

India’S Arid Region And The Current Drought, Pratap Narain, K. D. Sharma, A. S. Rao, D. V. Singh, B. K. Mathur, Usha Rani Ahuja

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

We recently surveyed some of the drought-affected areas (Figure 1) in the Indian arid region in a publication entitled “Strategy to Combat Drought and Famine in the Indian Arid Zone.” This article is a summary of the report.

The present drought in the arid and semiarid regions of India is due to the cumulative effect of inadequate rainfall during 1997–99. Twelve states in India are in the grip of severe drought, with Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh (Table 1) being the most affected. The Indian arid zone encompasses 32 million ha and is highly prone to droughts and …

The Drought In Chile And La Niña, Juan Quintana

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

Precipitation is one of the climatic elements most affected by the presence of La Niña in Chile. An important precipitation deficit begins during La Niña events, from latitude 45°S to the north. This deficit prevails most of the year, with winter (April–September) being most vulnerable to these anomalies. The central region of Chile (30°S to 40°S) has negative anomalies, with precipitation values 35% to 100% below the climatologic annual average. These rain deficiencies in Chile are determined by the persistence of anomalies of anticyclonal circulation of middle and subtropical latititudes and an area of anomalies of cyclonic circulation in the …

Talking Imperative For Grieving Farmers, Others, Cheryl Alberts

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

Farmers who are losing their livelihoods to the drought shouldn’t be surprised to feel depressed or angry, and neither should people around them. After all, these farmers are suffering a very real loss and they are grieving.

Farmers who lose a crop in many ways will react as have people who have lost loved ones, said John DeFrain, family and community development specialist at the University of Nebraska here. That is, they go into shock, denial and anger, and not necessarily in that order.

The loss of a crop means a loss of time, expenses, identity and, in some cases, …

From The Director: Summer 2000, Donald A. Wilhite

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

We had a fairly good response to the call in the previous issue of Drought Network News for readers to receive future issues online. I would encourage more of you to consider this option, as it will save distribution costs and expedite receipt of the newsletter. If you are willing to receive the newsletter electronically, please contact Kim Klemsz (kklemsz2@unl.edu). Our plan is to notify you via e-mail when each new issue of Drought Network News is available. Back issues of Drought Network News are also available online.

At this writing, I am making final preparations for the Expert Group …

Effects Of Planetary Wave-Breaking On The Seasonal Variation Of Total Column Ozone, Terrence R. Nathan, Eugene C. Cordero, Long Li, Donald J. Wuebbles

Faculty Publications, Meteorology and Climate Science

The effects of planetary wave breaking on the seasonal variation of total column ozone are investigated using a zonally averaged chemical-radiative-transport model of the atmosphere. The planetary wave breaking effects of zonal wavenumbers k=1 and k=2 are significant in the middle latitude stratosphere during Northern Hemisphere (NH) winter, whereas only wave k=1 is important during Southern Hemisphere (SH) winter. The mixing and induced meridional circulation due to the planetary wave breaking increases the seasonal variation of total column ozone in NH (SH) middle latitudes by ∼20% (∼10%).

Effects Of Planetary Wave-Breaking On The Seasonal Variation Of Total Column Ozone, Terrence R. Nathan, Eugene C. Cordero, Long Li, Donald J. Wuebbles

Eugene C. Cordero

The effects of planetary wave breaking on the seasonal variation of total column ozone are investigated using a zonally averaged chemical-radiative-transport model of the atmosphere. The planetary wave breaking effects of zonal wavenumbers k=1 and k=2 are significant in the middle latitude stratosphere during Northern Hemisphere (NH) winter, whereas only wave k=1 is important during Southern Hemisphere (SH) winter. The mixing and induced meridional circulation due to the planetary wave breaking increases the seasonal variation of total column ozone in NH (SH) middle latitudes by ∼20% (∼10%).

Growth In Colorado And The West: Trends And Issues [Outline], James N. Corbridge Jr.

Water and Growth in the West (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

4 pages.

Contains references.

Environmental Impacts Of New Solutions: Two Case Studies, Lori Potter, Michael Freeman

Water and Growth in the West (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

32 pages.

Contains footnotes and references.

Groundwater And Growth Management In The New West: Evolving Law And Practice, A. Dan Tarlock

Water and Growth in the West (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

13 pages.

The Water Development-Growth Relationship: Case Studies, Edward F. Harvey

Water and Growth in the West (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

7 pages.

Climate Variability And Western Water: What Can We Expect?, Roger S. Pulwarty

Water and Growth in the West (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

7 pages.

Agenda: Water And Growth In The West, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center, The William And Flora Hewlett Foundation

Water and Growth in the West (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

1 v. (various pagings) : ill., maps ; 29 cm. + 1 CD-ROM (4 3/4 in.) + supplement (207 p. ; 29 x 24 cm.)

"Conference co-sponsor The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation."

Conference moderators included University of Colorado School of Law professors Gary C. Bryner, James N. Corbridge, Jr., David H. Getches, Douglas S. Kenney, Kathryn M. Mutz, Peter D. Nichols and Charles F. Wilkinson.

Accompanied by: CD-ROM (4 3/4 in.) and supplement (xiv, 140, [49] p.)

Includes bibliographical references

The event will cover a breadth of issues, including demographics and water-use trends, improved planning and efficient use, implementation …

Using The Spi To Identify Drought, C. T. Agnew

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

This article was written in response to the recent analysis of drought in Turkey by Komuscu (1999). The study showed the relationship between drought duration, drought frequency, and drought time scale using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI).

Announcements: Spring 2000

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

Contents:

Droughts: A Global Assessment

Proceedings of the National Workshop on Dynamic Crop Simulation Modeling for Agrometeorological Advisory Services

Central and Eastern European Workshop on Drought Mitigation

11th Global Warming International Conference and Expo

GLOBE Data Set

Revisiting The Spi: Clarifying The Process, Michael J. Hayes

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

The number of applications using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) around the world continues to increase (e.g., Agnew, pp. 6–12 of this newsletter, and Komuscu 1999). However, there are relatively few publications explaining the SPI, and occasional misconceptions about the index have occurred.

When the SPI was first developed by McKee et al. (1993, 1995), it was meant to address some of the limitations that exist within the Palmer Drought Index (PDI). These first publications were relatively simple introductions of the SPI to the scientific community, appearing in the Proceedings of the Eighth and Ninth Applied Climatology Conferences, respectively, sponsored …

Characteristics Of Drought In Kerala, India, K. K. Nathan

Drought Network News (1994-2001)

Kerala state in India, which is the first area of the country to experience the southwest monsoon, has a moist and wet climate. Kerala is in the extreme southwestern part of the Indian subcontinent; it borders Karnataka state in the north, Tamil Nadu in the east, and the Arabian Sea in the west (Figure 1). The entire state is one of the 35 meteorological subdivisions in India.

Kerala’s climate is tropical monsoon and tropical savanna, according to Koppen’s climatic classification (Figure 1). The state normally experiences excessive seasonal rainfall, with hot summers (except in the extreme southern districts like Trivandrum, …