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From The Director: October 1998, Donald A. Wilhite
From The Director: October 1998, Donald A. Wilhite
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
On July 16, 1998, President Clinton signed the National Drought Policy Act into law. This law creates the National Drought Policy Commission (NDPC), which will examine current laws and programs and make recommendations to the president and Congress on the needs for a national drought policy. The Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will serve as the chair for the Commission, which will comprise 16 members. In addition to the Secretary of Agriculture, other members of the Commission will include the Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of the Army, Secretary of Commerce, Director of the Federal Emergency …
Comparative Hydrometeorology Of Temperate And Semiarid Environments In India, Badrul Hasan
Comparative Hydrometeorology Of Temperate And Semiarid Environments In India, Badrul Hasan
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
Out of a total cropped area of 178 m ha, India has 59 m ha of irrigated cropland. The remaining 119 m ha is rainfed. Crop production under rainfed conditions either occurs during the rainy season or depends on conserved or residual soil moisture. In temperate countries, the economy largely depends on production of goods and services that are less affected by the variabilities of weather. Although India receives adequate amounts of rainfall annually through the four different types of weather phenomena—southwest monsoon (74%), northeast monsoon (3%), pre-monsoon (13%), and post-monsoon (10%)—the distribution in time and space is erratic, resulting …
Persian Gulf Sea Surface Temperature As A Drought Diagnostic For Southern Iran, M. Jafar Nasemosadat
Persian Gulf Sea Surface Temperature As A Drought Diagnostic For Southern Iran, M. Jafar Nasemosadat
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
The Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, situated over the northwestern extremity of the tropical Indian Ocean, make up the southern border of Iran (Figure 1). During hot seasons, the sea surface temperatures (SSTs) of these water bodies are high, and a huge thermal trough system is usually dominant over the region (Bitan and Sa’aroni, 1992). The summer SSTs of the Persian Gulf are reported to be the highest in the world (Gabler, 1977).
About 30% of the total rain-bearing air masses coming to the country originate in north Africa, the Red Sea, and western Saudi Arabia (Khalili, 1992). These air …
Announcements: October 1998
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
Contents:
IUGG–99 XXII General Assembly - Inter-Association Symposium on Geophysical Hazards: Risk Assessment, Mitigation and Warning Systems
1999 National Disaster Medical System Conference
International Conference on Integrated Drought Management—Lessons for Sub-Saharan Africa
4th International Congress on Energy, Environment and Technological Innovation
Droughts In Tamil Nadu: A Qualitative And Quantitative Appraisal, K. K. Nathan
Droughts In Tamil Nadu: A Qualitative And Quantitative Appraisal, K. K. Nathan
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
Tamil Nadu experiences recurrent droughts. Tamil literature also indicates that famine-like conditions prevailed during the Pandiyan Kingdom for nearly 12 years. The state normally benefits from northeast monsoon rainfall from October to December, unlike other regions of India, which are dominated by southwest monsoon rainfall.
In general, four major parameters determine the nature and extent of drought conditions in Tamil Nadu: (1) rainfall, (2) ground water, (3) reservoir levels, and (4) crop conditions. It is estimated that nearly 50% of the districts in the state are drought-prone. The state receives nearly 80% of its annual rainfall during the northeast monsoon, …
Implications Of Climate Change For Soil Moisture Availability In Turkey’S Southeastern Anatolia Project Region, Ali Umran Komuscu
Implications Of Climate Change For Soil Moisture Availability In Turkey’S Southeastern Anatolia Project Region, Ali Umran Komuscu
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
The Southeast Anatolia Development Project (known as GAP) is a multifaceted development project for agriculture and water resources within the Turkish portions of the Euphrates and Tigris river basins. Through this project, the vulnerability of the region to drought has been investigated in both temporal and spatial terms. On completion of the project, 28% of the total water potential of Turkey will be brought under control through facilities on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, which have a joint flow of more than 50 billion m3 (GAP Regional Development Administration, 1997). The GAP project aims to irrigate 8.5 million hectares …
No Droughts Over India Following Very Strong El Niño Episodes, R. H. Kripalani, Ashwini Kulkarni
No Droughts Over India Following Very Strong El Niño Episodes, R. H. Kripalani, Ashwini Kulkarni
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
One of the external factors responsible for the interannual variability of Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR—June through September) is the El Niño phenomenon. About half of the droughts over India have been related to this phenomenon. Other external factors, such as the Eurasian snow, also affect the year-to-year variability of the ISMR. It is believed that in such cases, the ISMR becomes locked into its own internal dynamics.
Improving Drought Management And Planning Through Better Monitoring In Africa, Tsegaye Tadesse
Improving Drought Management And Planning Through Better Monitoring In Africa, Tsegaye Tadesse
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
Drought is part of the environment. It occurs in every part of the globe and adversely affects the lives of a large number of people, causing considerable damage to economies, the environment, and property. It also affects countries differently, having a greater impact on countries with poor economic conditions.
Recurrent drought in Africa in the last 30 years has had a disastrous effect on an economic and social situation that already had serious problems. Today, in the aftermath of these devastating droughts, planning and preparedness have become more important. Most disasters, including droughts, are no accident. They are made by …
Australia’S National Drought Policy Continues To Evolve, David H. White
Australia’S National Drought Policy Continues To Evolve, David H. White
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
Australia is an arid continent with a high variability in its annual rainfall. Given the frequency and severity of droughts and the consequent high financial and social costs to the nation and to individuals, and the associated potential for further degradation of the land, a national policy on drought was clearly needed.
Australia’s National Drought Policy (NDP) was ratified by the state and Commonwealth (federal) governments in 1992 (White, 1993; White et al., 1993; White and O’Meagher, 1995). Its aims are to:
• encourage primary producers and other sections of rural Australia to adopt self-reliant approaches to managing for climatic …
From The Director: June 1998, Donald A. Wilhite
From The Director: June 1998, Donald A. Wilhite
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
The 1997–98 El Niño event has certainly raised the public’s level of awareness of the impact of climate on society. Although the concern in the United States has focused more on mitigating the potential effects of floods, not all regions of the country are dealing with water surplus situations. An emerging drought in Montana and parts of some surrounding states has caught the attention of scientists and policy makers in recent months. Worldwide, droughts in Central America, Mexico, Brazil, Hawaii, some Pacific island nations, Indonesia, Australia, southern Africa, and elsewhere have attracted the attention of scientists, policy makers, and the …
Announcements: June 1998
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
Contents:
Western Drought Coordination Council Products Available
Announcements: February 1998
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
Contents:
Hazards and Sustainability: Contemporary Issues in Risk Management
Hazards–98: Seventh International Symposium on Natural and Man-made Hazards
Water: A Looming Crisis? International Conference on World Water Resources at the Beginning of the 21st Century
Disaster Forum ’98
National Conference on Lifesaving Intervention
New Book: Reaching the Unreached: Challenges for the 21st Century
Spring Crops In Bulgaria Damaged By 1996 Summer Drought, Nikola Slavov, Vesselin Alexandrov
Spring Crops In Bulgaria Damaged By 1996 Summer Drought, Nikola Slavov, Vesselin Alexandrov
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
Studies suggest there is a decreasing trend in precipitation in both north and south Bulgaria because of precipitation deficiencies in the 1940s and since the 1970s. Bulgaria has experienced several summer drought episodes during the last century, most notably in the 1940s and 1980s. There has been a decreasing trend in precipitation during the potential crop-growing season since the end of the 1970s, and the number of 10-day dry spells during this season has increased since the beginning of the 1970s. In the course of the last 3 decades, there was a decreasing trend in precipitation during the non-growing season …
Droughts In Poland, 1951-90, R. Farat, M. Kepinska - Kasprzak, P. Kowalczak, P. Mager
Droughts In Poland, 1951-90, R. Farat, M. Kepinska - Kasprzak, P. Kowalczak, P. Mager
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
One of the negative features of Poland’s climate is the periodic occurrence of atmospheric droughts. The most frequent source of this phenomenon is the occurrence of long-term (sometimes lasting several weeks) rainless periods. The occurrence of these periods is connected with the persistence of a stationary east European high that joins with the Azores anticyclone via central Europe. In such situations, with the accompanying lack or insufficiency of atmospheric precipitation, a drought begins to develop gradually. First, a soil drought appears, followed by hydrologic drought. During a hydrologic drought, a decrease in the ground water flow into surface waters is …
India, Indonesia Experiencing Opposite Effects From 1997 El Niño, R. H. Kripalani, Ashwini Kulkarni
India, Indonesia Experiencing Opposite Effects From 1997 El Niño, R. H. Kripalani, Ashwini Kulkarni
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
It is now well recognized that the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon is the single most important cause of year-to-year climatic variability. Several studies have documented that a majority of the warm extremes (El Niño events) cause below-normal rainfall over Indonesia, while cold extremes (La Niña events) cause above-normal rainfall over India.
During the current ongoing El Niño episode, temperature anomalies in the Niño 1+2, Niño 3, and Niño 3.4 regions have been the largest values observed in the last 50 years. The pattern of anomalous tropical convection with enhanced activity across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific and suppressed …
Planning For The Next Drought: A National Drought Mitigation Center Workshop Sponsored By The U.S. Bureau Of Reclamation And The National Governors’ Association
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
The drought that gripped the Southwest and southern Great Plains states in 1996 was the most recent reminder of the nation’s continuing and apparently increasing vulnerability to drought. Although drought is a common feature in the West, it is a normal part of the climate of each region of the United States: drought struck the Southeast in 1986; most of the country, especially the Midwest and Plains states, in 1988–89; the West from 1987 to 1992; and the Northeast in 1995. Experiences from each of these droughts reinforce the need for advance planning. Even though drought is a slow-onset disaster, …
Quarterly Report Provides Assessment Of Western Water Supply Indicators
Quarterly Report Provides Assessment Of Western Water Supply Indicators
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
A new quarterly report, Western Climate and Water Status, provides decision makers in the western United States with a comprehensive assessment of water supply indicators that can give early warning of emerging droughts. A product of the Western Drought Coordination Council, the report is an important new connection between scientists and policy makers.
China’S Drought Climate Monitoring System, Zhu Changhan, Zhang Qiang, Wu Hong
China’S Drought Climate Monitoring System, Zhu Changhan, Zhang Qiang, Wu Hong
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
In China, about 50% of the country is in arid and semiarid regions. Drought is the most severe climate disaster to affect China, and it causes significant reductions in grain yields. The area affected annually by drought has been estimated at about 20 million ha, which accounts for 59% of the total area affected by disasters. When severe droughts occur, they can affect as much as 33 million ha.
To monitor the occurrence and development of droughts efficiently and provide information on the strength and range of droughts and floods, the China Drought–Flood Climate Monitoring System was developed by the …
From The Director: February 1998, Donald A. Wilhite
From The Director: February 1998, Donald A. Wilhite
Drought Network News (1994-2001)
If it seems like considerable time has elapsed since you received the last issue of Drought Network News, it is not just your imagination. After much discussion, we decided not to publish the newsletter in October 1997. First, we had a limited number of submissions to include. Second, the task of editing the manuscript for a new drought book was an overwhelming task that was involving much of my time and that of my publications specialist, Deborah Wood. She is also responsible for Drought Network News. With more submissions and the near completion of the drought book, I …