James E. Newman

Annual Water Balance and Agricultural Development in Alaska

Mean annual precipitation in Alaska varies from 10 cm in the north to well over 500 cm in the southeast. Much of the interior has a macro—scale negative mean water balance, whereas coastal areas are very humid. Most land areas with the potential for agricultural development lie along the major interior river valleys. Nearly all of these land areas have long—term negative water balances. Should agricultural development take place in these areas, this negative water balance is likely to be magnified. Only those potential agricultural lands in the Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak—Aleutian Island chain, and the southeast coastal regions lack water limitations when subjected to intensive crop production. See full-text article at JSTOR

The Precision Associated with the Sampling Frequencies of Total Particulate at Indianapolis, Indiana

The frequency distribution of total suspended particulate matter for Indianapolis, Ind., was examined in order to determine the precision associated with any given sampling scheme. By assuming a basic loge-normal distribution, a theoretical set of confidence intervals about the geometric mean was derived for random sampling. Verification of the loge-normal distribution was made for particulate matter in Indianapolis. Application of the derived confidence intervals revealed that for a 30-day period 20 samples must be taken to ensure that the 90% confidence interval will be within 10% of the geometric mean. Analysis of the records for 19 sampling locations within Indianapolis revealed that only 2 sites possessed sufficient data to allow monthly climatological evaluation over the period 1968-1970.

Some agricultural implications of winter sublimation gains and losses at Palmer, Alaska

Abstract A block of ice 30.5 cm square and 2.5 cm thick was weighed once daily during the winter season of 1968–1969. In this manner gains and losses were determined for each diurnal period. From these data sublimation gains and losses were computed. Only daily periods with the following diurnal temperature and humidity conditions were considered in this study: (1) days with maximum temperatures of 0°C or less; (2) days with maximum temperatures above 0°C but with dew point temperatures at or above 0°C during the same period. By applying these criteria to the climatic measurements observed at the same site, it was found that only sublimation losses occurred on 31 days and only sublimation gains occurred on 6 days during the 115 days observational period. The gains and losses in ice block weight that occurred during these 37 daily periods of sublimation are related to diurnal temperature changes and mean wind flow. Sublimation losses occurred during diurnal periods in increasing temperatures and increasing winds. Sublimation gains occurred during diurnal periods of decreasing temperatures with little or no wind. Sublimation gains or losses appear to be closely related to synoptic weather changes. Large sublimation losses were strongly associated with diurnal periods of strong advection, while sublimation gains were associated when calm conditions and falling temperature trends characteristic of diurnal periods with strong radiation losses.

Phenology Gardens in Indiana

Plant phenology observations taken over a long history for various purposes share a common interest in evaluating seasonal influences of weather on different species. Because comprehensive review of literature has been cited by Caprio (1966) and Caprio et al. (1970), no such effort will be made here.

Crop production potentials in India — A water-availability based analysis

Abstract On the basis of drought frequency and the intensity of irrigation, India was divided into three crop production regions. Each has different levels of crop productivity. A region of assured water supply covers 29% of the crop land of India and contributes to 42% in production. The average crop yield is 44% higher than the national average. The second region of uncertain water supply covers 61% of the crop land of the country and contributes to 51% of production. The crop yield is 17% lower than the national average. The third region of undependable water supply covers 10% of the crop land and contributes 7% in national production. The average crop yield is 25% lower than the national level. Inadequate water supply for crop production is a critical limiting factor in many existing cultivated areas. Water resources are likely to become more critical with the addition of new crop lands in the future. Past, current, and future projections of food grain production in India do not keep pace with food needs. Food grain production equivalents based on a national average daily energy diet of 2000 calories exceed past, present, and future food grain production estimates. Adequate food grain production from within the country is not likely if the population growth projections are approximately correct for coming decades.