scholarly journals Relationship between Winter/Spring Snowfall and Summer Precipitation in the Northern Great Plains of North America

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1203-1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven M. Quiring ◽  
Daria B. Kluver
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Standardized Precipitation Index ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Moisture Conditions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Preceding Winter

Abstract On the basis of snowfall observations from 1929 to 1999, positive (negative) snowfall anomalies are associated with wetter (drier) than normal conditions during the summer [July–August (JJA)] in the northern Great Plains. The five driest summers are associated with negative snowfall anomalies during the preceding winter (−66.7 mm) and spring (−62.4 mm) that cover most of the study region (∼85%). Snowfall anomalies during the late spring (April–May) are more important for determining summer moisture conditions than snowfall anomalies in fall [September–November (SON)] or winter [December–February (DJF)]. The link between snowfall anomalies and summer moisture conditions appears to be, at least partly, through soil moisture since positive (negative) snowfall anomalies are associated with wetter (drier) soils, a later (earlier) date of snowmelt, cooler (warmer) air temperatures, and more (less) evaporation during spring and summer. However, the relationship between spring snowfall and summer moisture conditions is only statistically significant when the moisture anomaly index (Z), which accounts for both temperature and precipitation, is used to characterize summer moisture conditions and the signal is weak when just considering precipitation (e.g., standardized precipitation index). Results also indicate that the strength of the relationship between winter/spring snowfall and summer moisture varies significantly over space and time, which limits its utility for seasonal forecasting.

DROUGHT SURVIVAL OF SELECTED FORAGE GRASSES COMMONLY SEEDED IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS

1982 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 949-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAT O. CURRIE ◽  
RICHARD S. WHITE
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Leaf Growth ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Forage Grasses ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Drought Survival ◽  
Moisture Conditions

Prolonged drought between 1979 and 1981 killed or severely reduced stands of a number of grass species presumably adapted and frequently recommended for seeding rangelands in the Northern Great Plains. The drought damage took place on recently planted as well as established 2 years or older seedings. Cultivars of the intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass complex were killed or most severely damaged. Damage was also severe on seeded stands of the native green needlegrass, western and thickspike wheatgrasses and big bluegrass. Crested wheatgrass was only moderately drought tolerant, but two cultivars of Russian wild ryegrass established well even with adverse moisture conditions in the seeding year. Altai wild ryegrass seedlings established well but did not survive the drought. An established stand of Vinall Russian wild ryegrass increased in basal area and produced leaf growth and seedstalks during the most severe drought periods. These periodic droughts are sporadic in occurrence but need to be considered in reference to species recommendations for range seedings in the Northern Great Plains.

scholarly journals Prospects for Dynamical Prediction of Meteorological Drought

2012 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 1238-1252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Wei Quan ◽  
Martin P. Hoerling ◽  
Bradfield Lyon ◽  
Arun Kumar ◽  
Michael A. Bell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Standardized Precipitation Index ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Seasonal Forecasts ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Antecedent Soil Moisture ◽  
Drought Prediction

AbstractThe prospects for U.S. seasonal drought prediction are assessed by diagnosing simulation and hindcast skill of drought indicators during 1982–2008. The 6-month standardized precipitation index is used as the primary drought indicator. The skill of unconditioned, persistence forecasts serves as the baseline against which the performance of dynamical methods is evaluated. Predictions conditioned on the state of global sea surface temperatures (SST) are assessed using atmospheric climate simulations conducted in which observed SSTs are specified. Predictions conditioned on the initial states of atmosphere, land surfaces, and oceans are next analyzed using coupled climate-model experiments. The persistence of the drought indicator yields considerable seasonal skill, with a region’s annual cycle of precipitation driving a strong seasonality in baseline skill. The unconditioned forecast skill for drought is greatest during a region’s climatological dry season and is least during a wet season. Dynamical models forced by observed global SSTs yield increased skill relative to this baseline, with improvements realized during the cold season over regions where precipitation is sensitive to El Niño–Southern Oscillation. Fully coupled initialized model hindcasts yield little additional skill relative to the uninitialized SST-forced simulations. In particular, neither of these dynamical seasonal forecasts materially increases summer skill for the drought indicator over the Great Plains, a consequence of small SST sensitivity of that region’s summer rainfall and the small impact of antecedent soil moisture conditions, on average, upon the summer rainfall. The fully initialized predictions for monthly forecasts appreciably improve on the seasonal skill, however, especially during winter and spring over the northern Great Plains.

scholarly journals The catastrophic thermokarst lake drainage events of 2018 in northwestern Alaska: fast-forward into the future

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 4279-4297
Author(s):  
Ingmar Nitze ◽  
Sarah W. Cooley ◽  
Claude R. Duguay ◽  
Benjamin M. Jones ◽  
Guido Grosse
Keyword(s):  
Climate Model ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Optical Remote Sensing ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Drainage Rate ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Lake Drainage

Abstract. Northwestern Alaska has been highly affected by changing climatic patterns with new temperature and precipitation maxima over the recent years. In particular, the Baldwin and northern Seward peninsulas are characterized by an abundance of thermokarst lakes that are highly dynamic and prone to lake drainage like many other regions at the southern margins of continuous permafrost. We used Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and Planet CubeSat optical remote sensing data to analyze recently observed widespread lake drainage. We then used synoptic weather data, climate model outputs and lake ice growth simulations to analyze potential drivers and future pathways of lake drainage in this region. Following the warmest and wettest winter on record in 2017/2018, 192 lakes were identified as having completely or partially drained by early summer 2018, which exceeded the average drainage rate by a factor of ∼ 10 and doubled the rates of the previous extreme lake drainage years of 2005 and 2006. The combination of abundant rain- and snowfall and extremely warm mean annual air temperatures (MAATs), close to 0 ∘C, may have led to the destabilization of permafrost around the lake margins. Rapid snow melt and high amounts of excess meltwater further promoted rapid lateral breaching at lake shores and consequently sudden drainage of some of the largest lakes of the study region that have likely persisted for millennia. We hypothesize that permafrost destabilization and lake drainage will accelerate and become the dominant drivers of landscape change in this region. Recent MAATs are already within the range of the predictions by the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning (UAF SNAP) ensemble climate predictions in scenario RCP6.0 for 2100. With MAAT in 2019 just below 0 ∘C at the nearby Kotzebue, Alaska, climate station, permafrost aggradation in drained lake basins will become less likely after drainage, strongly decreasing the potential for freeze-locking carbon sequestered in lake sediments, signifying a prominent regime shift in ice-rich permafrost lowland regions.

Evaluating the relationship between trapper harvest of American martens (Martes americana) and the quantity and spatial configuration of habitat in the boreal forests of Ontario, Canada

2012 ◽  
Vol 88 (03) ◽  
pp. 317-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn J. Landriault ◽  
Brian J. Naylor ◽  
Stephen C. Mills ◽  
James A. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Patch Size ◽  
Spatial Configuration ◽  
Martes Americana ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Habitat Models ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
The Relationship

We investigated the relationship between trapper harvest of martens (Martes americana) and the quantity and spatial configuration of marten habitat on traplines in the eastern and western boreal forests of Ontario. We used region-specific habitat models to estimate the total amount of suitable marten habitat on each trapline, and the proportion of each trapline identified as suitable habitat in various patch size classes. To control for variability in trapper success not associated with habitat, we included an index of trapper effort, as well as variables related to access, temperature, and precipitation as covariates in our regression analyses. Region-specific habitat models identified a positive relationship between the proportion of suitable marten habitat on traplines (irrespective of patch size) and trapper success. Although there did not appear to be an effect of patch size on trapper success in the eastern study region, we observed an effect in the western region. Results from the western study region suggest that traplines with suitable habitat in patches ≥500 ha will have higher trapper success than traplines with similar proportions of suitable habitat but distributed in smaller patches. Our study was conducted in a forested landscape (80% of trapline area was forested). Therefore, our findings should not be applied to areas where suitable marten habitat lies in a matrix comprised of a significant amount of non-forested area.

Effects of earthquakes and antecedent droughts on landslide initiation in Italy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuehong Zhu ◽  
Qiang Dai ◽  
Lu Zhuo ◽  
Dawei Han ◽  
Shuliang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Standardized Precipitation Index ◽  
Formation Condition ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Italian Region ◽  
Solid Materials ◽  
Rainfall Thresholds ◽  
The Past ◽  
Moisture Conditions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Early Warnings

<p>Earthquake and antecedent drought (drought for short) play important roles in triggering landslides, which change the formation condition of landslides by affecting topography, loose solid materials and water content. However, in most cases, landslide early warnings rely on rainfall thresholds or(/and) soil moisture conditions, without considering the effects of earthquake and drought. In this study, an analysis has been carried out on the latest version of Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes (Italian acronym CPTI15) and standardized precipitation index (SPI) (to represent droughts) and the landslide events in a northern Italian region in the past 116-years period 1901-2016. Based on the quantitative analysis on the relationship in time between landslides, earthquake activities and drought events, the interacting relationship between landslides, seismic activities and droughts were explored. It has been found that the impacts from earthquakes and droughts on landslides do exist. The impacts from earthquakes in the study area was less significant comparing with other regions (such as Wenchuan, China), and droughts play a complementarily minor role on landslides. Finally, a method is proposed for predicting the landslides based on early earthquake and drought monitoring and used on some cases. We expect this study can provide useful information for combining earthquake and drought in the landslide early warnings.</p>

scholarly journals Studies of Soil Moisture in the “Great Plains” Region

1908 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. J. Alway
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
No Value ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
High Yields ◽  
Moisture Conditions ◽  
Preceding Winter ◽  
Previous Summer

1. All determinations of soil moisture should be made to a depth of from four to five feet for wheat and oats, and to a depth of six or seven feet for grasses.2. Unless all the soil under consideration is very uniform, determinations of the hygroscopic coefficient are indispensable. The determination of this value is extremely important even where the soil is uniform.3. The storage capacity for available water of the two soil types studied, may be placed at from five to seven inches of rainfall for wheat and oat crops.4. A better idea of the moisture conditions of the soil at Indian Head may be obtained from a casual examination in the field than from the drying and weighing of the samples, unless the hygroscopic coefficient is considered.5. The moisture stored in the subsoil during the previous summer, and not the frost of the preceding winter, is the cause of the high yields of wheat and oats obtained in southern Saskatchewan.6. The soil of southern Saskatchewan does not remain permanently frozen at any depth.7. Investigations of the moisture conditions to a depth of only 12 to 16 inches are of no value and may often be entirely misleading.

Cumulative impacts of roads and energy infrastructure on grassland songbirds

The Condor ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jody Daniel ◽  
Nicola Koper
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Oil Wells ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Gas Wells ◽  
Shallow Gas ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Negative Impacts

Abstract Comparing impacts of co-occurring anthropogenic features is necessary for regional planning and can help identify mechanisms of negative impacts of development on wildlife. Because of the vast abundance of anthropogenic features in the Northern Great Plains, their combined negative impacts on songbird habitat use (e.g., abundance) and productivity (e.g., nesting success and clutch size) could exacerbate the decline of songbird populations. We compared the cumulative effects of energy-related infrastructure (oil wells, shallow gas wells, and roads) on habitat use and productivity of songbirds across a 120 × 180 km region in southern Alberta, Canada. We examined effects on Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) and Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii), both of which are listed as Threatened in Canada, and Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus), and Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). Using piecewise regressions and generalized linear models, we estimated effects of distance from infrastructure and shallow gas well density on the habitat use and productivity of each species. We then used these analyses to quantify the availability of habitat suitable for settlement and breeding throughout our study region. Shallow gas wells, which are more abundant, affected a larger geographic area than oil wells, but oil wells were associated with the added impacts of roads. Our analyses suggest that impacts of wells on songbirds are not caused by industrial noise because individual shallow gas wells, which produce no mechanical noise, had similar impacts to noisy oil wells. Our results highlight the importance of regional plans that consider the impacts of multiple co-occurring anthropogenic features in working landscapes.

scholarly journals Drought and vegetation change in the central Rocky Mountains and western Great Plains: potential climatic mechanisms associated with megadrought conditions at 4200 cal yr BP

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 1195-1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vachel A. Carter ◽  
Jacqueline J. Shinker ◽  
Jonathon Preece
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Specific Humidity ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Normal Heights ◽  
Regional Drought ◽  
Central Rocky Mountains ◽  
Western Great Plains

Abstract. Droughts are a naturally re-occurring phenomena that result in economic and societal losses. Yet, the most historic droughts that occurred in the 1930s and 1950s in the Great Plains and western United States were both shorter in duration and less severe than megadroughts that have plagued the region in the past. Roughly 4200 years ago, a ∼150-year long megadrought occurred in the central Rocky Mountains, as indicated by sedimentary pollen evidence documenting a brief and unique change in vegetation composition from Long Lake, southeastern Wyoming. Neighbouring the central Rocky Mountains, several dune fields reactivated in the western Great Plains around this time period illustrating a severe regional drought. While sedimentary pollen provides evidence of past drought, paleoecological evidence does not provide context for the climate mechanisms that may have caused the drought. Thus, a modern climate analogue technique was applied to the sedimentary pollen and regional dune reactivation evidence identified from the region to provide a conceptual framework for exploring possible mechanisms responsible for the observed ecological changes. The modern climate analogues of 2002/2012 illustrate that warm and dry conditions persisted through the growing season and were associated with anomalously higher-than-normal geopotential heights centred over the Great Plains. In the spring, higher-than-normal heights suppressed moisture transport via the low-level jet from the Gulf of Mexico creating a more southwesterly component of flow. In the summer, higher-than-normal heights persisted over the northern Great Plains resulting in a wind shift with an easterly component of flow, drawing in dry continental air into the study region. In both cases, lower-than-normal moisture in the atmosphere (via 850 mbar specific humidity) inhibited uplift and potential precipitation. Thus, if the present scenario existed during the 4.2 ka drought, the associated climatic responses are consistent with local and regional proxy data suggesting regional drought conditions in the central Rocky Mountains and western Great Plains.

Biennial Wormwood (Artemisia biennis) Early-Season Control with Herbicides

2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 611-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley E. Fronning ◽  
George O. Kegode
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
The United States ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Early Season ◽  
Herbicide Treatments ◽  
Moisture Conditions

Biennial wormwood has become a problem for soybean producers in the northern Great Plains of the United States. Research was conducted to evaluate control of biennial wormwood with preemergence (PRE) herbicides alone or followed by postemergence (POST) herbicides in 2000 and 2001 at Fargo, Leonard, and Wyndmere, ND. Favorable soil moisture conditions at Leonard resulted in continual emergence and greater densities of biennial wormwood, whereas the soil at Fargo and Wyndmere was dry and few biennial wormwood seedlings emerged at these locations. Biennial wormwood control with PRE herbicides was greater than 89% at Fargo and Wyndmere but was 80% or lower at Leonard. PRE biennial wormwood control was higher with flumetsulam than with sulfentrazone. When POST treatments were applied after PRE herbicides, biennial wormwood control 4 wk after treatment was 92% or better at Fargo and Wyndmere but was 76% or less at Leonard. The combination of PRE and POST herbicide treatments did not improve control greatly at Fargo or Wyndmere but at Leonard reduced the number of biennial wormwood plants.

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