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Drought Preparedness And Management Training Seminar Conducted For West Africa

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

All of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) member countries of western Africa were represented at a seminar conducted in Banjul, The Gambia, 4–9 September 1995. The Training Seminar on Drought Preparedness and Management for Western Africa was conducted to improve awareness of drought and appropriate mitigation and preparedness technologies to reduce impacts. The seminar was organized by WMO and sponsored by WMO and the UN Sudano-Sahelian Office.

Effects Of Water Stress On Soybean Productivity In Central India, Ajay K. Srivastava, Diwakar Naidu, A. S. R. A. S. Sastri, J. S. Urkurkar, B. Das Gupta

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

In the Chhattisgarh plains in the agroclimatic region of central India (Figure 1), farms may be characterized by one of the following: unbunded lathyritic soils, bunded rice fields (rainfed), bunded rice fields (irrigated), unbunded black soils, or rice bunds. Under these five farming situations, different crop sequences have been in vogue. New crops and crop sequences are recommended by the Agricultural University from time to time based on experimental results.

In the unbunded black soils, farmers usually plant small millets and pigeon pea. However, based on experimental results, the University has recommended soybean followed by chickpea crop sequence under rainfed …

Climatic And Hydrologic Oscillations In The Owens Lake Basin And Adjacent Sierra Nevada, California, Larry Benson, James W. Burdett, Michaele Kashgarian, Steve Lund, Fred Phillips, Robert O. Rye

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Oxygen isotope and total inorganic carbon values of cored sediments from the Owens Lake basin, California, indicate that Owens Lake overflowed most of the time between 52,500 and 12,500 carbon-14 (¹⁴C) years before present (B.P.). Owens Lake desicated during or after Heinrich event H1 and was hydrologically closed during Heinrich event H2. The magnetic susceptibility and organiz carbon content of cored sediments indicate that about 19 Sierra Nevada glaciations occurred between 52,500 and 23,500 ¹⁴C years B.P.

Origin Of The Late Quaternary Dune Fields Of Northeastern Colorado, Daniel R. Muhs, Thomas W. Stafford, Scott D. Cowherd, Shannon A. Mahan, Rolf Kihl, Paula B. Maat, Charles A. Bush, Jennifer Nehring

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Stabilized eolian deposits, mostly parabolic dunes and sand sheets, cover much of the landscape of northeastern Colorado and adjacent parts of southwestern Nebraska in four geographically distinct dune fields. Stratigraphic and soil-geomorphic relations and accelerator radiocarbon dating indicate that at least three episodes of eolian sand movement occurred between 27 ka and 11 ka. possibly between 11 ka and 4 ka. and within the past 1.5 ka. Thus, eolian sand deposition took place under both glacial and interglacial climatic conditions. In the youngest episodes of eolian sand movement. Holocene parabolic dunes partially buried Pleistocene sand sheet deposits.

Late Holocene sands …

Drought Monitoring And Information Centre Established For Arid Zone Of South Africa, Louis G. Du Pisani, Reep Verloren Van Themaat, Francis Roux

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Drought policy in the Republic of South Africa has been extensively reviewed in Drought Network News (Bruwer, 1989; Bruwer, 1990a; Bruwer, 1990b). The protection of natural resources against deterioration (natural vegetation = veld) and the protection of rural communities and infrastructure against disruption of agricultural and socioeconomic development have always been major thrusts behind drought relief subsidies.

Since 1980, two important provisos for drought relief payments to stock farmers have been implemented: (1) a drought must assume disaster proportions (Bruwer, 1990b) and (2) stock numbers must not exceed the official carrying capacity (Department of Agricultural Development, 1992).

The pressure on …

Drought Returns To The United Kingdom, Terry Marsh

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

The privatization of the water industry in 1989 heralded a new era in water management in England and Wales, but it also coincided with the beginning of a period of volatile climatic patterns that have served to strongly underline a continuing vulnerability to unusual weather patterns. Following the very protracted drought that lasted until late 1992 in parts of eastern England, the resilience of water supply arrangements in the United Kingdom was again severely tested during a remarkably dry five-month spell beginning in the early spring of 1995. The water resources outlook at the beginning of this period was exceptionally …

Assessment Of Recent Droughts In Tamil Nadu, K. K. Nathan

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Tamil Nadu, a coastal state in south India, is prone to droughts. The climate of the state ranges from dry subhumid to semiarid. The state has three distinct rainfall climates: (1) advancing monsoon period (from June to September), with strong southwest winds; (2) northeast monsoon (from October to December), with dominant northeast winds; and (3) dry season (from January to May). The normal annual rainfall of the state is about 945 mm.

Tamil Nadu is classified into seven agroclimatic zones: northeast, northwest, west, southern, high rainfall, high altitude hilly, and Cauvery Delta (the most fertile agricultural zone). The Cauvery Delta …

Severe Drought In Italy: Characteristics, Impacts, And Mitigation Strategies, Giuseppe Rossi, Francesca Somma

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Following the severe drought event that occurred in Italy in 1988–90, the Italian Department of Civil Protection published a report, Drought in Italy 1988–90 (in Italian; edited by G. Rossi and G. Margaritora), containing a comprehensive description of the drought event, its impacts, and the mitigation measures adopted in the most affected regions.

Since the beginning of the drought, the Department promoted and coordinated a number of initiatives, aiming mainly to mitigate domestic and agricultural water shortages. The Department also formed a drought committee, which included representatives of various government agencies (in charge of hydrometeorological data collection and water supply …

Long-Range Forecasts Of Southwest Monsoon Rainfall Explored For India, J. B. Singh, R. P. Singh

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Southwest monsoon rainfall (received during June–September) determines the fate of millions of dryland farmers as well as the status of national food security in India almost every year. The need for information about southwest monsoon rainfall is great in these areas. An accurate long-range forecast can help farmers increase agricultural productivity in good rainfall years and negate the sudden downturns in agricultural production during anticipated drought years by giving farmers sufficient time to adopt drought-resistant crop varieties and appropriate crop, soil, and water management practices. The India Meteorological Department is now able to make all-India long-range forecasts of southwest monsoon …

The Role Of Drought In Determining The Reserve Water Sector In Israel, J. A. Allan

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Drought is a compelling environmental phenomenon. Drought is also an extremely important feature of the political economies of dry regions. This study will emphasize the political significance of drought. Droughts, and especially protracted drought, send much stronger signals about water availability to a much more comprehensively diverse range of water interests than any other single political factor or any combination of factors operating in a political economy. Drought affects water users as well as those involved at all levels in water allocation, water legislation, and water policy development and implementation. Natural systems decree that water shortages have to be endured. …

Queensland Drought Enters Its Fifth Year, Gary Bacon

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

The worst ENSO drought event to affect the state of Queensland this century has entered its fifth year. The drought, which commenced in March 1991, reached its maximum coverage in December 1993, when 51% of the state’s 1.7 million square kilometers were officially drought-declared. Currently, 41 full shires (local authority areas) and five part shires comprising more than 20,000 individual rural properties and covering 37% of the state are drought-declared.

Five-Year Drought Continues In Spain, Antonio Mestre Barcelo

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Spain is now facing its fifth consecutive year of severe drought. This event, which began in 1990, affects most of the country, with the exception of the north coast regions. The most affected regions are Andalucía, Extremadura, and Castilla–la Mancha, all of them located in the southern half of Spain. In some climatological stations of these areas, the five-year agricultural period from 1 September 1990 to 31 August 1995 is the driest quinquennium of this century. Mean percentage departures from normal rainfall exceed -20% in the southern half of the country and in some isolated areas of the Duero and …

Worsening Drought Conditions Affect Relay Cropping In Central India, J. L. Chaudhary, A. S. R. A. S. Sastri, D. Naidu, S. K. Srivastava

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

In the Chhattisgarh region of central India (Figure 1), rice is grown on about 3.7 million ha, of which 80% is under rainfed conditions. The rice crop is grown mostly under the broadcast biasi system of cultivation (see Drought Network News, Vol. 5, No. 3 [October 1993], pp. 6–7). The rainy season is the southwest monsoon (June–September) season. Farmers grow traditional local tall varieties of rice, which flower in mid-October and mature by mid- November.

El Niño’S Effect On Southwest Monsoon Rainfall In Andhra Pradesh, India, U. S. Victor, N. N. Srivastava, A. V. M. Subba Rao, B. V. Ramana Rao

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

India is primarily an agricultural country, despite making rapid strides in industrialization in recent decades. The Indian economy is therefore highly dependent on the behavior of the summer monsoon, also known as the southwest monsoon, which occurs during four months (June–September). This accounts for 75% of the annual rainfall over most parts of the country and also generates great demand for rainfall forecasts in different time scales. For nearly a century, Indian meteorologists have been attempting to develop suitable techniques that could be used for preparing long-range forecasts of monsoon rains over India. Walker (1923) has done pioneering work in …

Coping With Exceptional Droughts In Australia, David H. White, Bruce O'Meagher

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

The objectives of Australia’s National Drought Policy (NDP), agreed to by Commonwealth (national), state, and territory ministers in 1992, are to:

• encourage primary producers and other sections of rural Australia to adopt self-reliant approaches to managing the risks stemming from climatic variability;
• maintain and protect Australia’s agricultural and environmental resource base during periods of extreme climate stress; and
• ensure early recovery of agricultural and rural industries consistent with long-term sustainable levels.

Under the NDP, Australian farmers are expected to assume greater responsibility for managing the risks arising from climatic variability. This requires integrating financial and business management …

Geology Of The Ogallala/High Plains Regional Aquifer System In Nebraska, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This guide is mostly figures with a reference section containing some of the pertinent literature on the Cenozoic geology we will see over the next four days. Copies of some of the cited works will be assembled in a packet and handed out on the morning of April 29th. We will make all 17 stops. if the weather is reasonably good and the roads are passable. On the first day, April 29, we will try to get to stops 1-5, the more distal parts of the Ogallala and younger deposits in Nebraska. On April 30, we will try to visit …

Book Review: Quaternary Geology And Geomorphology Of South America By C. Clapperton, William J. Wayne

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Dr. Clapperton is to be commended for having taken on the monumental task of a review of the present state of knowledge of the Quaternary of the entire continent of South America. Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology of South America is a massive, interestingly written, but expensive volume that covers exactly what its title suggests. In spite of the paucity of information on many aspects of the Quaternary geology of this continent, which extends from north of the equator nearly to the Antarctic, the author has succeeded in reviewing and synthesizing most of the material that does exist. To do so …

Drought In The Lower Danube, Ekaterina Koleva

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Bulgaria is situated on the Balkan Peninsula. Its northern frontier is the lower part of the Danube. The Balkan range, with its zonal situation, is part of a natural climatic frontier, dividing Bulgaria into two parts—north and south.

One of the main features of the climate in the Danube Plain (northern Bulgaria) is insufficient precipitation—a tendency toward dryness and frequent droughts. The annual amount of precipitation is 500–600 mm. The highest monthly values are measured in June (in some places in May), with 55–75 mm. February (in some places, March) is the driest month. Absence of precipitation can occur in …

Summer Drought Ravages Crops In Middle China, Huajie Tai

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Drought affected China’s agricultural production in spring, summer, and fall 1994. The summer drought was very severe in the middle part of China, especially in Anhui and Jiansu provinces.

Relating United States Crop Land Use To Natural Resources And Climate Change, K. G. Hubbard, F. J. Flores-Mendoza

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Crop production depends not only on the yield but also on the area harvested. The yield response to climate change has been widely examined, but the sensitivity of crop land use to hypothetical climate change has not been examined directly. Crop land-use regression models for estimating crop area indices (CAIs) - the percent of land used for corn, soybean, wheat, and sorghum production - are presented. Inputs to the models include available water-holding capacity of the soil, percent of land available for rain-fed agricultural production, annual precipitation, and annual temperature. The total variance of CAI explained by the models ranged …

Geomorphic And Geochemical Evidence For The Source Of Sand In The Algodones Dunes, Colorado Desert, Southeastern California, Daniel R. Muhs, Charles A. Bush, Scott D. Cowherd, Shannon Mahan

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The Algodones dunes of southeastern California comprise one of the largest active dune fields in the United States. The source of sand of the Algodones dunes is controversial, and the source of stabilized aeolian sand in the adjacent East Mesa area has not been investigated at all. We used mineralogical compositions and trace element concentrations to ascertain the most likely source of sand for these active and stabilized dunes. Results indicate that alluvium derived from the San Bernardino Mountains, which enters the Salton trough to the northwest of the dune fields, and alluvium derived from the Chocolate Mountains, which is …

Bermuda Solution Pipe Soils: A Geochemical Evaluation Of Eolian Parent Materials, Stanley R. Herwitz, Daniel R. Muhs

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Solution pipes found in the Quaternary eolian and marine carbonates of Bermuda are filled with reddish to reddish-brown soil material. The bulk of the soil is composed of clay and silt-sized quartz and aluminosilicate clay minerals. The carbonates are of high purity and, therefore, are not likely to have been the parent material. Previous workers have hypothesized that Saharan dust may have been the soil parent material. The fine-grained component of loess from the Mississippi River Valley of North America also could have contributed. Paleoclimate models indicate that both North Africa and North America could have been important source areas …

Evidence Of Active Dune Sand On The Great Plains In The 19th Century From Accounts Of Early Explorers, Daniel R. Muhs, Vance T. Holliday

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Eolian sand is extensive over the Great Plains of North America, but is at present mostly stabilized by vegetation. Accounts published by early explorers, however, indicate that at least parts of dune fields in Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas were active in the 19th century. Based on an index of dune mobility and a regional tree-ring record, the probable causes for these periods of greater eolian activity are droughts, accompanied by higher temperatures, which greatly lowered the precipitationto- evapotranspiration ratio and diminished the cover of stabilizing vegetation. In addition, observations by several explorers, and previous historical studies, indicate …

Carbonate Deposition, Pyramid Lake Subbasin, Nevada: 2. Lake Levels And Polar Jet Stream Positions Reconstructed From Radiocarbon Ages And Elevations Of Carbonates (Tufas) Deposited In The Lahontan Basin, Larry Benson, Michaele Kashgarian, Meyer Rubin

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Most of the tufas in the Pyramid Lake subbasin were deposited within the last 35,000 yr, including most of the mound tufas that border the existing lake. Many of the older tufas (> 21,000 yr B.P.) contained in the mounds were formed in association with ground-water discharge. The radiocarbon (¹⁴C) ages of the older tufas represent maximum estimates of the time of their formation. Lake Lahontan experienced large and abrupt rises in level at ~ 22,000, 15,000, and 11,000 yr B.P. and three abrupt recessions in level at ~ 16,000, 13,600, and 10,000 yr B.P. The lake-level rises …

Drought Vulnerability Of Rainfed Crops In Semiarid Tropics In India: New Methods Of Determining Rainfall Variability, U. S. Victor, N. N. Srivastava, P. Vijay Kumar

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

In dryland areas of India, rainfall is the main source of water for raising crops. For these areas, the greatest problem is not water shortage per se, but rather the tremendous variability in rainfall from year to year and season to season. In planning for the coming season, we currently have little or no ability to predict the date of the onset of rains or their amount, distribution, or duration. However, uncertainty about rainfall is lessened when information is available concerning the possible variability and frequencies of historical occurrences of rainfall. This information can be obtained by coupling water use …

Rainfall Patterns For India’S Karnataka State Show Above-Normal Precipitation For 1994-98, M. B. Rajegowda, D. M. Gowda

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

The Karnataka state, confined roughly within 11.5° N and 18.5° N latitude and 74° E and 78.5° E longitude, is situated on a table land at the point where the western and eastern Ghat range enclose the Nilgiri hill complex. It is enclosed by chains of mountains to its west, east, and south. The state consists mainly of plateau, with a higher elevation of 600 to 900 m amsl in small portions of the extreme north and northwest Karnataka and the whole of the southern half, an elevation of 300 to 600 m amsl in the north, and an elevation …

Drought Profile: Haryana State In North India, K. Kailasa Nathan

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Haryana state is considered the breadbasket of India, along with the Punjab state. The effects of drought (and mitigation of those effects) are therefore of considerable importance for the state. This article considers the state’s drought “profile” through a study of six drought years in Haryana.

Haryana has a semiarid climate in the southwest and a Gangetic plain environment in the rest of the state. About 50% of the state has a moisture deficit. One of the reasons for adverse crop production in the state during June–September is the early withdrawal or late onset of monsoon rains, which contribute nearly …

Droughts Over Homogeneous Regions Of India: 1871–-1990, B. Parathasarathy, A. A. Munot, D. R. Kothawale

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

The summer monsoon (June through September), or southwest seasonal rains, contribute 78% of India’s annual rainfall. It is the greatest climatic water resource of India. The country’s agriculture and food production depend on these rains. Rainfed farming areas in India account for about 70% of the total arable land in the country, with nearly 100 million ha depending on the monsoon rains. The rains also contribute to power generation and industrial production.

Hydrometeorological Considerations For Rainwater Management During Drought Years In Peninsular India, J. B. Singh, B. V. Ramana Rao, J. C. Katyal

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Peninsular India is located in the tropics; its climate ranges from arid conditions in the rain shadow region (under the influence of Eastern Ghats along the east coast and Western Ghats along the west coast) to humid conditions in regions adjoining the west coast. The average annual rainfall in the region varies from about 500 mm in the interior parts to more than 3000 mm on the crest of Western Ghats. The rainy season commences during the month of June because of the onset of the southwest monsoon near the tip of peninsular India. The southwest monsoon ends during September. …

Drought And Southern Africa: A Note From The Harare Regional Drought Monitoring Centre, Leonard S. Uganai

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Drought is a normal part of southern Africa’s climate and one of the most important natural disasters in southern Africa. In fact, it is becoming increasingly unusual for drought not to occur somewhere in southern Africa each year. The dependence of most southern African economies on rainfed agriculture emphasizes the importance of drought early warning products for short- and long-term decision making in various sectors of the national economies of the region. Following the 1991–92 drought, which ravaged more than 80% of southern Africa, many in southern Africa now realize the value of meteorological information in weather-sensitive decisions. Requests for …