Climate change in the semiarid prairie of southwestern Saskatchewan: Late winter–early spring

1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. W. Cutforth ◽  
B. G. McConkey ◽  
R. J. Woodvine ◽  
D. G. Smith ◽  
P. G. Jefferson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Spring Temperature ◽  
Spring Frost ◽  
The Past ◽  
Spring Runoff ◽  
Key Words Climate Change ◽  
Spring Maximum

Long-term weather and hydrological data were analyzed to study climate change during late winter–early spring within an approximately 15 000 km2 area in the semiarid prairie near Swift Current, Saskatchewan. The climate has changed over the past 50 yr. Winter and spring maximum and minimum temperatures have warmed, snowfall amounts have decreased, and spring runoff has started earlier now than during past years. The percentage of precipitation as snow has decreased as temperatures have warmed. As well, even though temperatures have warmed, the date of the last spring frost has not gotten earlier with time. Key words: Climate change, semiarid prairie, winter and spring, temperature, snow, spring runoff

Long-term changes in the frost-free season on the Canadian prairies

2004 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 1085-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herb Cutforth ◽  
EG (Ted) O’Brien ◽  
Jason Tuchelt ◽  
Rick Rickwood
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Canadian Prairies ◽  
Spring Frost ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Spring Frosts ◽  
Agricultural Regions

The climate of the prairies has warmed over the past century, especially during late winter and early spring. Some regions of the prairies have warmed faster than others. Climate change has been documented to affect living systems in North America, such as promoting earlier phenological development and longer growing seasons. We examined weather records gathered at several long-term weather-recording sites across the agricultural regions of the Canadian prairies for evidence of trends in last spring frosts, first fall frosts, and frost-free durations. During the latter half of the 20th century, the trends were towards earlier last spring frost dates and towards longer frost-free seasons in the agricultural regions of the Canadian prairies. Across most of the prairies the trends towards later first fall frost dates were smaller and generally not significant. The largest changes have occurred in the central and northern agricultural regions of Alberta, whereas the least change occurred over much of southern Alberta and in southern Manitoba. Key words: Last spring and first fall frost dates, frost-free season, agroclimatic indices, climate change, Canadian prairies

Phenological phases of pollination related to climate change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Monnier ◽  
Michel Thibaudon ◽  
Jean-Pierre Besancenot ◽  
Charlotte Sindt ◽  
Gilles Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Pollen Season ◽  
Microscopic Analysis ◽  
Allergic Diseases ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
New Production ◽  
Start Date ◽  
Generic Term

<p>Knowledge:</p><p>Rising CO2 levels and climate change may be resulting in some shift in the geographical range of certain plant species, as well as in increased rate of photosynthesis. Many plants respond accordingly with increased growth and reproduction and possibly greater pollen yields, that could affect allergic diseases among other things.</p><p>The aim of this study is the evolution of aerobiological measurements in France for 25-30 years. This allows to follow the main phenological parameters in connection with the pollination and the ensuing allergy risk.</p><p>Material and method:</p><p>The RNSA (French Aerobiology Network) has pollen background-traps located in more than 60 towns throughout France. These traps are volumetric Hirst models making it possible to obtain impacted strips for microscopic analysis by trained operators. The main taxa studied here are birch, grasses and ragweed for a long period of more than 25 years over some cities of France.</p><p>Results:</p><p>Concerning birch but also other catkins or buds’ trees pollinating in late winter or spring, it can be seen an overall advance of the pollen season start date until 2004 and then a progressive delay, the current date being nearly the same as it was 20 years ago, and an increasing trend in the quantities of pollen emitted.</p><p>For grasses and ragweed, we only found a few minor changes in the start date but a longer duration of the pollen season.</p><p>Discussion:</p><p>As regards the trees, the start date of the new production of catkins or buds is never the 1<sup>st</sup> of January but depends on the species. For example, it is early July for birch. For breaking dormancy, flowering, and pollinating, the trees and other perennial species need a period of accumulation of cold degrees (Chilling) and later an accumulation of warm degrees (Forcing). With climate change these periods may be shorter or longer depending of the autumn and winter temperature. Therefore, a change in the annual temperature may have a direct effect on the vegetal physiology and hence on pollen release. It may also explain why the quantities of pollen produced are increasing.</p><p>The Poaceae reserve, from one place to another and without any spatial structuring, very contrasted patterns which make it impossible to identify a general tendency. This is probably due to the great diversity of taxa grouped under the generic term Poaceae, which are clearly not equally sensitive to climate change.</p><p>Conclusion:</p><p>Trees with allergenic pollen blowing late winter or early spring pollinate since 2004 later and produce amounts of pollen constantly increasing. Grasses and ragweed have longer periods of pollination with either slightly higher or most often lower pollen production.</p>

The productivity of breeding ewes grazing on lucerne or grass and clover pastures on the tablelands of Southern Australia. III. Lamb mortality and weaning percentage

1984 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 709 ◽  
Author(s):  
JR Donnelly
Keyword(s):  
Early Spring ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Cold Weather ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Maternal Weight ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Probability Of Death ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Stocking Rates

Weaning percentage and perinatal mortality of lambs born in late winter or early spring to Merino and Border Leicester x Merino ewes grazing at several stocking rates on lucerne or phalaris-clover pastures were measured over 2 years. Weaning percentages for mature crossbred ewes declined linearly from 136 lambs per 100 ewes joined when stocked at 9 ha-1 to 100 for those at 18 ha-1. For mature Merino ewes, the values were 109 and 70 respectively. Weaning percentages were similar on lucerne and phalaris pastures, although 8% more lambs were born to ewes grazing on phalaris; higher mortality in lambs born as multiples eliminated the difference. Death from exposure during the first 3 days of life was the most important cause of lamb losses. For lambs born as singles to Merino ewes the probability of death from exposure was up to 0.4, and reached 0.6 for lambs born as multiples. For single and multiple lambs born to crossbred ewes equivalent probabilities were 0.25 and 0.4 respectively. These probabilities were reduced if maternal weight was high at lambing, the reduction being of practical significance in very cold weather, particularly if the proportion of multiple births was high. Under mild conditions, where the probability of death from exposure was low, reductions in mortality from high ewe weight at lambing were of little consequence. Long-term weather records kept at the experimental site near Canberra show that a high risk of death in new-born lambs is likely from early June to mid-September. Throughout this period deaths from exposure could be expected to exceed 30% in lambs born as multiples to Merino ewes.

scholarly journals Concentrations of Cadmium, Copper, Lead and Zinc in Snow from Near Dye 3 in South Greenland

1988 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 193-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.W. Wolff ◽  
David A. Peel
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Crustal Component ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Lead And Zinc ◽  
Gasoline Additive ◽  
Spring Maximum

Clean sampling and analysis procedures have been used to measure the concentrations of Al and four heavy metals in snow representing one year’s accumulation (1983-84) near Dye 3 in Greenland. Mean values were Al 17.5ng g−1, Cd 0.74 pg g−1, Cu 6.2 pg g−1, Pb 28 pg g−1 and Zn 27 pg g−1. Concentrations of the heavy metals are lower than previously reported at other Greenland sites for snowfall during the last 20 years. A distinct late-winter / early-spring maximum is seen for Al, Cu, Pb and Zn, in accord with other workers’ measurements of various species in the atmospheric aerosol in the Arctic. Cu appears to have a large crustal component, but Cd, Pb and Zn probably originate mainly from pollution. One explanation for the lower Pb values may be the considerable reduction in North American and European usage of Pb as a petrol (gasoline) additive during the last decade. These limited data emphasize the importance of obtaining a reliable century-long record of these metals in Greenland ice.

scholarly journals Statistics and Analysis of the Relations between Rainstorm Floods and Earthquakes

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Baodeng Hou ◽  
Yongxiang Wu ◽  
Jianhua Wang ◽  
Kai Wu ◽  
Weihua Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Input Data ◽  
Computational Results ◽  
Occurrence Time ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Water Vapors ◽  
Transmission Zone ◽  
Chinese Scholars

The frequent occurrence of geophysical disasters under climate change has drawn Chinese scholars to pay their attention to disaster relations. If the occurrence sequence of disasters could be identified, long-term disaster forecast could be realized. Based on the Earth Degassing Effect (EDE) which is valid, this paper took the magnitude, epicenter, and occurrence time of the earthquake, as well as the epicenter and occurrence time of the rainstorm floods as basic factors to establish an integrated model to study the correlation between rainstorm floods and earthquakes. 2461 severe earthquakes occurred in China or within 3000 km from China and the 169 heavy rainstorm floods occurred in China over the past 200+ years as the input data of the model. The computational results showed that although most of the rainstorm floods have nothing to do with the severe earthquakes from a statistical perspective, some floods might relate to earthquakes. This is especially true when the earthquakes happen in the vapor transmission zone where rainstorms lead to abundant water vapors. In this regard, earthquakes are more likely to cause big rainstorm floods. However, many cases of rainstorm floods could be found after severe earthquakes with a large extent of uncertainty.

Climate change in the semiarid prairie of southwestern Saskatchewan: Temperature, precipitation, wind, and incoming solar energy

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. W. Cutforth
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Average Maximum ◽  
Key Words Climate Change

Long-term weather data were analyzed to study annual as well as seasonal climate change within an approximately 15 000-km2 area in the semiarid prairie near Swift Current, SK. The climate of the study region has changed over the past 50 yr. Annually, average maximum (Tmx) and minimum (Tmn) air temperatures have increased – rainfall amounts and the number of rainfall events (≥0.5 mm) have increased since the late 1960s-early 1970s; incoming solar energy has decreased, and wind speed has decreased since the early 1970s. Seasonally, for January through April (JFMA), both Tmx and Tmn have increased, the number of rainfall events has increased since the early 1970s, snowfall amounts and the number of snowfall events (≥0.5 cm) have decreased; the number of precipitation events (≥0.5 mm) has decreased, incoming solar energy has decreased, and wind speed has decreased since the early 1970s. For May through August (MJJA), Tmn has increased, incoming solar energy has decreased, and wind speed has decreased since the mid-1970s. For September through December (SOND), the number of rainfall events has increased since the early 1970s and wind speed has decreased. Since 1950, JFMA has become drier and, relative to JFMA, SOND has become wetter. Generally, JFMA has experienced the largest change in climate, whereas SOND has experienced the least climate change. Precipitation amounts and events were negatively correlated with increasing Tmx, suggesting a future decrease in precipitation amounts for southwestern Saskatchewan if global warming continues. Key words: Climate change, semiarid prairie, temperature, precipitation, wind, solar energy

On the Biology and Fishery of the Canadian Atlantic Halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.

1958 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1269-1311 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. D. McCracken
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Large Female ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Atlantic Halibut ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Water Edge ◽  
Mature Fish

Exploratory fishing in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1945 and 1946 and off western Nova Scotia in 1947 caught 739 halibut, of which 229 were tagged and released. About 590 fish from the commercial fishery of the two regions were also examined.Larger, older halibut were caught in the northern part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence than off western Nova Scotia. Tagged halibut recaptures, size and age composition of commercial landings, and differences in rate of growth suggest generally separate stocks in the two regions.Younger, immature halibut were most available in shallower water; larger, mature fish usually in deep water. Most halibut were caught at temperatures between about 3° and 9 °C. Seasonal, inshore, relatively shallow water halibut fisheries in the northern part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off western Nova Scotia occur as the bottom water warms. Large female halibut predominate in such catches.Mature halibut, about 9 to 11 years and older, must spawn in late winter and early spring, probably along the deep-water edge of the banks. Mature halibut grow slowly though the females exceed the mature males and reach a much larger size. The faster-growing, immature halibut of both sexes grow at about the same rate.Halibut landings from ICNAF Subareas 3 and 4 which were at a low level between 1940 to 1948 increased sharply to about 13 million pounds in 1950. More recent landings approximate the long-term annual average of about 5 million pounds. Changes in the level of landings are related to changes in the magnitude of the Canadian fishery which, since 1940, has produced most of the halibut from Subareas 3 and 4.Offshore and inshore fisheries specifically for large halibut produce most of the landings. Catches of halibut taken incidentally in other fisheries contribute little by weight but take large numbers of small, faster-growing individuals. With a continuation of present fishing practices and intensities an annual yield of about 5 million pounds may be expected to continue, but some increased yield might result from controlling the incidental catches of younger halibut. Ways and means of effecting such control should be explored.

scholarly journals Effects of Climate Change on Epidemics of Powdery Mildew in Winter Wheat in China

Plant Disease ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 101 (10) ◽  
pp. 1753-1760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuli Tang ◽  
Xueren Cao ◽  
Xiangming Xu ◽  
Yuying Jiang ◽  
Yong Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Powdery Mildew ◽  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
Disease Epidemics

Powdery mildew is a highly destructive winter wheat pathogen in China. Since the causative agent is sensitive to changing weather conditions, we analyzed climatic records from regions with previous wheat powdery mildew epidemics (1970 to 2012) and investigated the long-term effects of climate change on the percent acreage (PA) of the disease. Then, using PA and the pathogen’s temperature requirements, we constructed a multiregression model to predict changes in epidemics during the 2020s, 2050s, and 2080s under representative concentration pathways RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5. Mean monthly air temperature increased from 1970 to 2012, whereas hours of sunshine and relative humidity decreased (P < 0.001). Year-to-year temperature changes were negatively associated with those of PA during oversummering and late spring periods of disease epidemics, whereas positive relationships were noted for other periods, and year-to-year changes in relative humidity were correlated with PA changes in the early spring period of disease epidemics (P < 0.001). Our models also predicted that PA would increase less under RCP2.6 (14.43%) than under RCP4.5 (14.51%) by the 2020s but would be higher by the 2050s and 2080s and would increase least under RCP8.5 (14.37% by the 2020s). Powdery mildew will, thus, pose an even greater threat to China’s winter wheat production in the future.

scholarly journals Long-term trends in the body condition of parents and offspring of Tengmalm’s owls under fluctuating food conditions and climate change

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Kouba ◽  
Luděk Bartoš ◽  
Jitka Bartošová ◽  
Kari Hongisto ◽  
Erkki Korpimäki
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
The Body ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Tengmalm's Owl

AbstractPhysical condition is important for the ability to resist various parasites and diseases as well as in escaping predators thus contributing to reproductive success, over-winter survival and possible declines in wildlife populations. However, in-depth research on trends in body condition is rare because decades-long datasets are not available for a majority of species. We analysed the long-term dataset of offspring covering 34 years, male parents (40 years) and female parents (42 years) to find out whether the decline of Tengmalm’s owl population in western Finland is attributable to either decreased adult and/or juvenile body condition in interaction with changing weather conditions and density estimates of main foods. We found that body condition of parent owl males and females declined throughout the 40-year study period whereas the body condition of owlets at the fledging stage very slightly increased. The body condition of parent owls increased with augmenting depth of snow cover in late winter (January to March), and that of offspring improved with increasing precipitation in late spring (May to June). We conclude that the decreasing trend of body condition of parent owl males and females is important factor probably inducing reduced adult survival and reduced reproduction success thus contributing to the long-term decline of the Tengmalm’s owl study population. The very slightly increasing trend of body condition of offspring is obviously not able to compensate the overall decline of Tengmalm’s owl population, because the number of offspring in turn simultaneously decreased considerably in the long-term. The ongoing climate change appeared to work in opposite ways in this case because declining depth of snow cover will make the situation worse but increased precipitation will improve. We suggest that the main reasons for long-term decline of body condition of parent owls are interactive or additive effects of reduced food resources and increased overall predation risk due to habitat degradation (loss and fragmentation of mature and old-growth forests due to clear-felling) subsequently leading to decline of Tengmalm’s owl study population.

scholarly journals Modeling Long-Term Temporal Variation of Dew Formation in Jordan and Its Link to Climate Change

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nahid Atashi ◽  
Dariush Rahimi ◽  
Mustafa Al Kuisi ◽  
Anwar Jiries ◽  
Henri Vuollekoski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mediterranean Climate ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Arid Climate ◽  
Seasonal Patterns ◽  
Climate Zones ◽  
The Past ◽  
Dew Formation

In this study, we performed model simulations to investigate the spatial, seasonal, and annual dew yield during 40 years (1979–2018) at ten locations reflecting the variation of climate and environmental conditions in Jordan. In accordance with the climate zones in Jordan, the dew formation had distinguished characteristics features with respect to the yield, seasonal variation, and spatial variation. The highest water dew yield (an overall annual mean cumulative dew yield as high as 88 mm) was obtained for the Mountains Heights Plateau, which has a Mediterranean climate. The least dew yield (as low as 19 mm) was obtained in Badia, which has an arid climate. The dew yield had a decreasing trend in the past 40 years due to climate change impacts such as increased desertification and the potential of sand and dust storms in the region. In addition, increased anthropogenic air pollution slows down the conversion of vapor to liquid phase change, which also impacts the potential of dew formation. The dew yield showed three distinguished seasonal patterns reflecting the three climates in Jordan. The Mountains Heights Plateau (Mediterranean climate) has the highest potential for dew harvesting (especially during the summer) than Badia (semi-arid climate).

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