Meteorological Technology International
  • News
    • A-E
      • Agriculture
      • Automated Weather Stations
      • Aviation
      • Climate Measurement
      • Data
      • Developing Countries
      • Digital Applications
      • Early Warning Systems
      • Extreme Weather
    • G-P
      • Hydrology
      • Lidar
      • Lightning Detection
      • New Appointments
      • Nowcasting
      • Numerical Weather Prediction
      • Polar Weather
    • R-S
      • Radar
      • Rainfall
      • Remote Sensing
      • Renewable Energy
      • Satellites
      • Solar
      • Space Weather
      • Supercomputers
    • T-Z
      • Training
      • Transport
      • Weather Instruments
      • Wind
      • World Meteorological Organization
      • Meteorological Technology World Expo
  • Features
  • Online Magazines
    • April 2023
    • September 2022
    • April 2022
    • September 2021
    • Archive Issues
    • Subscribe Free!
  • Opinion
  • Videos
  • Supplier Spotlight
  • Jobs
    • Browse Industry Jobs
    • Post a Job – It’s FREE!
    • Manage Jobs (Employers)
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook
  • Sign-up for Free Weekly E-Newsletter
  • Meet the Editors
  • Contact Us
  • Media Pack
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook
Subscribe
Meteorological Technology International
  • News
      • Agriculture
      • Automated Weather Stations
      • Aviation
      • Climate Measurement
      • Data
      • Developing Countries
      • Digital Applications
      • Early Warning Systems
      • Extreme Weather
      • Hydrology
      • Lidar
      • Lightning Detection
      • New Appointments
      • Nowcasting
      • Numerical Weather Prediction
      • Polar Weather
      • Radar
      • Rainfall
      • Remote Sensing
      • Renewable Energy
      • Satellites
      • Solar
      • Space Weather
      • Supercomputers
      • Training
      • Transport
      • Weather Instruments
      • Wind
      • World Meteorological Organization
      • Meteorological Technology World Expo
  • Features
  • Online Magazines
    1. April 2023
    2. September 2022
    3. April 2022
    4. September 2021
    5. Archive Issues
    6. Subscribe Free!
    Featured
    April 18, 2023

    In this Issue – April 2023

    By Web TeamApril 18, 2023
    Recent

    In this Issue – April 2023

    April 18, 2023

    In this Issue – September 2022

    August 12, 2022

    April 2022 issue is now available online!

    April 12, 2022
  • Opinion
  • Videos
  • Supplier Spotlight
  • Jobs
    • Browse Industry Jobs
    • Post a Job – It’s FREE!
    • Manage Jobs (Employers)
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
Meteorological Technology International
Agriculture

Clustered weather extremes to lead to increased crop failures, finds NASA

Dan SymondsBy Dan SymondsApril 27, 20223 Mins Read
Share LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Credit: Pixabay
Share
LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email

Extreme weather events such as floods and heat waves will increasingly cluster closer in time and space, heightening the risks of crop failures, wildfires and other hazards to society, according to a new study from NASA.

By the year 2100, increases in heat waves, drought and excessive rainfall combined will double the risk of climate-related failures of corn harvests in at least three of the world’s six major corn-growing regions in the same year. The US Midwest is at the highest risk of being the site of one of these multiple harvest failures.

Many previous studies have modeled changes in a single climate indicator, such as the number of days above 100ºF (38ºC) in a certain region. But the greatest impacts usually come when extremes occur simultaneously or in close sequence.

Colin Raymond, lead author and a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said, “It’s only in the last five or so years that a framework has been developed for applying compound-risk thinking to climate analysis in a way that you can actually compute without getting in hopelessly over your head.”

For their study, the research team used the German climate model called the Max Planck Institute Grand Ensemble to run 100 individual simulations of the years 1991 to 2100. The simulations of the past showed that the model was able to represent extreme-event clusters, such as the alteration of extreme heat with extreme rainfall, consistently with the way they occurred during that period. The researchers analyzed simulations of the future through 2100 to examine probable future changes in climate hazards, particularly in hazards that could occur simultaneously or in close succession.

Raymond and his colleagues focused on how the increased clustering of both temperature and precipitation hazards will affect corn. This important food crop is grown worldwide, with six major regions, or breadbaskets, accounting for about two-thirds of all production. The US is the world’s top corn grower, harvesting some 419,000,000 tons (380,000,000 metric tonnes) in 2021.

The model simulations showed that by 2100, extreme heat waves around the world lasting at least three days will occur two to four times as often as they do now. Three-day extremes in rainfall will generally increase 10% to 50% in frequency. The researchers also analyzed how these increased events will cluster in time and in location. They then looked at how all of these changes combined could affect future corn harvests, using the relationship between climate extremes in heat and rainfall and past crop failures as a guide.

By their best estimate, the chance that a cluster of events will cause corn crops to fail in at least three of the world’s breadbaskets in the same year will nearly double, from 29% to 57%, by the year 2100. While small, the chance that harvests will fail in the five largest breadbasket regions in a single year will grow even more significantly – from 0.6% to 5.4%. The US Midwest is the region most likely to be included in years with three breadbasket failures, followed by Central Europe.

The study also examined how risks to wildfires and human health would increase as extremes follow one another more closely. “Things are interconnected in a way that we haven’t quite appreciated up to this point,” said Raymond. “It’s not just heat waves. It’s not just heat and drought. It’s all of those interconnections that best explain the severe impacts we care most about when we’re trying to prevent major disasters.”

To view the study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, click here.

Previous ArticleCommunity-led initiative to map heat islands in 14 US cities
Next Article Website provides New Zealanders with easy access to environmental research data

Read Similar Stories

Radar

NCAR airborne phased-array weather radar secures funding

June 2, 20235 Mins Read
Climate Measurement

Met Office partners with FAAM Airborne Laboratory to improve summer storm predictions

June 2, 20232 Mins Read
Climate Measurement

Air Canada aircraft equipped with sensors to gather climate measurements

May 30, 20232 Mins Read
Latest News

NCAR airborne phased-array weather radar secures funding

June 2, 2023

Met Office partners with FAAM Airborne Laboratory to improve summer storm predictions

June 2, 2023

Vaisala celebrates 40 years of operating US lightning detection network

June 1, 2023

Receive breaking stories and features in your inbox each week, for free


Enter your email address:


Supplier Spotlights
  • Raymetrics
Latest Job Postings
  • Sailing Weather Specialist

    • Remote
    • SeaTactics
    • Part Time
  • SALES MANAGER

    • Erftstadt, Germany
    • GWU-Umwelttechnik GmbH
    • Full Time
Getting in Touch
  • Contact Us / Advertise
  • Meet the Editors
  • Download Media Pack
  • Free Weekly E-Newsletter
Our Social Channels
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
© 2023 UKi Media & Events a division of UKIP Media & Events Ltd
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Notice and Takedown Policy

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.

Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

Others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.

SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by