News and Notes

news and notes Climate/food workshop held in Berlin warnings of impending food shortages on a regional basis; establishing research and development pilot projects on ecologically sus- To meet the world's future food needs adequately, it is necessary to tainable food-production practices for each region of the world; and consider climate as both a natural hazard and a natural resource. developing and testing farming techniques that minimize inputs of energy and chemicals. Farmers must learn to cope more effectively with the adverse im- pacts of climatic hazards such as droughts, floods, and frost, and The climate/food workshop was sponsored by the Aspen Institute governments must work to maintain food security for their people in Berlin and the Federal Environmental Agency of the Federal Repub- the face of climatic variations that affect food production. But cli- lic of Germany. Cosponsors were the German Weather Service, the mate is also an agricultural resource that provides water and solar Society for Technical Cooperation, the International Federation of energy, shaping and conditioning the environment in which food is Institutes for Advanced Study, the Commission of the European produced, stored, and distributed. By using climatic resources effec- Communities, and the United Nations University. Participants came tively, farmers can increase food production in years of favorable from England, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, the Nether- climatic conditions and governments can protect consumers from lands, Switzerland, and the United States. food shortages and price spirals. This was the theme of the International Workshop on Climate/ Food Interactions, held 9-12 December 1980 at the Aspen Institute 1980 U.S. weather summary Berlin. More than 30 physical, biological, and social scientists, as well as international development specialists, participated. The The weather in the United States during 1980 was a "downer." workshop was chaired by Wilfrid Bach of the University of Miinster, A three-month heat wave in the Southwest caused ~$20 billion Germany, and Stephen H. Schneider of the National Center for worth of damage in ruined crops, increased power consumption, and Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo. damaged roads and highways. Nationwide, the heat killed 1320 The workshop participants concluded that: (1) government poli- people. cies must provide mechanisms that maintain food security for con- Floods caused more than $1 billion in losses. sumers and financial security for producers despite the fluctuations Hurricane Allen caused ~$500 million in property losses and took of climate; and (2) food systems must be ecologically sustainable and two lives. must match the climate, energy, labor, and capital resources of the The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) nations where they are used. has the task of compiling statistics on these damages and casualties. NOAA reported that the highest temperature reading during 1980, Bach said that "providing the increasing world population with 124°F, was reached five times. Locations were at Bull Head, Ariz.; sufficient food is a monumental task that depends on a host of in- Death Valley, Calif.; and three times at Baker, Calif. NOA A's prelim- terrelated physical and societal factors, of which climate is only one. inary figures also show that the lowest temperature for the year was A clear conclusion of this workshop was that supplying the world recorded at Tok weather station, 150 mi southeast of Fairbanks, with sufficient food is not merely a technical problem, but that it in- Alaska. There the mercury plummeted to —68°F. In the lower 48, the volves many complex social and political issues. This is particularly lowest thermometer reading was —47°F at Wisdom, Mont. true in many developing countries where the social structure does Deaths due to lightning were down to 78 last year from the 20-year not give the small farmer access to adequate financing to make use of average of 104. Deaths caused by tornadoes dropped to 28, the appropriate technology and other inputs that can increase food pro- second lowest total in 65 years. Lightning storms also produced duction. A second problem is to find social and political mechanisms more than $750 million in damage. that will allow millions of undernourished people to obtain the food NOAA's Environmental Data and Information Service provided that is now beyond their reach." the following summary of the extraordinarily bad weather: Schneider added: "The mix of natural and social scientists at the Spring flooding began in March in Alabama and Mississippi workshop produced conclusions that would have been difficult for with rainfalls of 18 in, more than three times normal. either group to reach alone. For example, we found that there is a On 27 April heavy thunderstorms and wind gusts of up to serious mismatch between the erratic patterns of climatic fluctuation 42 mph contributed to a ship crashing into the Sunshine Skyline and the rigid annual credit cycle that provides capital for farmers to Bridge at Tampa Bay, Fla.; 30 lives were lost and harbor traffic finance their operations. If two or more years of bad growing was delayed for five days. weather occur in succession, farmers can be left with too little money In May, Mt. St. Helens erupted. Although not of itself a to pay for enough fertilizer and other inputs to raise a good crop the weather event, the huge plumes of ash and gases affected the following year. This prolongs the period of low production and weather. This eruption and two others left 34 dead and caused keeps consumer prices high. We need to develop ways to make agri- more than $150 million in damage. cultural credit available on flexible terms that can be adjusted to cli- The great summer heat wave—between June and mid- matic conditions. This problem exists in developed countries as well August—was the most devastating U.S. weather calamity dur- as developing ones." ing 1980. On 13 July temperature records were shattered in The workshop participants recommended that new policies be several southern states. Dallas, Tex., recorded 100°F or above developed and implemented in the following areas: providing ade- each day from 23 June to 3 August. quate regional food storage and distribution systems; financing food The corn, cotton, peanut, and spring wheat crops were production to match the irregular fluctuations of climate; providing particularly hard hit by the heat. The Consumer Price Index for crop insurance; establishing forecasting centers to provide early food and beverages, which had risen only one-third as much as 518 Vol. 62, No. 4, April 1981 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 10/08/21 08:59 PM UTC Bulletin American Meteorological Society 519 the rest of the Index during the first half of 1980, jumped twice as much during the second half. Though NOAA's National Hurricane Center named 11 tropical storms, only one, Hurricane Allen, struck the U.S. mainland. Autumn brought smog and heat to the Los Angeles basin from 29 September to 11 October. This produced "hazardous" pollution levels for three days and temperatures averaging 14°F above normal. The year ended with floods in the Pacific Northwest, where a 2-5 in rainstorm during 26-28 December hit parts of Washing- ton and Oregon. Tornado safety rules Spring is the tornado season, and the peak month for these deadly storms is May. An average of 112 persons are killed each year by tornadoes, according to NWS—but the number of fatalities would be much lower if the public learned and practiced a few simple safety rules. Tornadoes form where air masses of contrasting temperature and moisture clash, often creating severe thunderstorms that produce high winds, torrential rainfall, and often damaging hail. But less than 5% of all thunderstorms produce tornadoes, and weather scientists are not sure what triggers them. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) A view of the Cheyenne, Wyo., tornado of 16 July 1979 that killed meteorologists, however, are able to examine large-scale weather one person, injured 57, and left —1000 homeless after destroying patterns and predict areas of likely severe-storm occurrence. When hundreds of home's. The tornado, pictured here ~8 km northeast of such an area is identified, a tornado watch bulletin is issued to the the NWS forecast office (far right) in Cheyenne, remains the most public through television, radio, and NOAA Weather Radio outlets. destructive tornado in Wyoming's history. (Photo courtesy Singer A watch indicates where and when the threat of severe weather is Photographies, Cheyenne.) highest. Watches usually are issued for areas ~140 mi wide by 200 mi long. Persons near or in the watch area are cautioned to be on the lookout for threatening conditions. Get under something sturdy. Protect your head. A tornado warning will be issued for an area whenever a tornado actually has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. Warnings • Move to designated shelter areas in schools, hospitals, describe the downstream area that could be affected. A tornado shopping centers, and other public places. Interior hall- warning usually will include the tornado's location, the direction in ways on lowest floors are best. which it is moving (which may be erratic), and speed. When a warn- • Leave mobile homes for more substantial shelter. ing is issued, persons in the threatened area should take immediate action to protect themselves. Because tornadoes are not always sighted or indicated on radar, warnings may not always be given, so when there is threatening weather, people always should be prepared to move to safety in case a tornado forms. New ozone measurement device developed by A tornado is usually easy to identify by its familiar funnel, which NASA drops from its apparent cloud overhead like a dark rope or elephant trunk.

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