M. V. K. Sivakumar

World Meteorological Organization | WMO · WDS

The Journal of Agrometeorology (ISSN 0972-1665) , is a quarterly publication of Association of Agrometeorologists, Anand, Gujarat, India, appearing in March, June, September and December. Since its beginning in 1999 till 2016, it was a half yearly publication appearing in June and December. The journal publishes original articles, full length paper...

Journal of Agrometeorology, a quarterly journal appearing in March, June, September and December published by “Association of Agrometeorologists” Anand, includes the articles relevant to the discipline contributed by the members of the Association and invited articles of eminent researchers in the field.

Journal of Agrometeorology is a quarterly publication of Association of Agrometeorologists-India appearing in March, June, September and December. The journal seeks manuscripts on all aspects of weather, climate and climate change related to agriculture and allied fields. The journal publishes original articles, full length papers and short communi...

Water vapor is a crucial atmospheric constituent. The cycling of water between atmosphere and biosphere transfers energy throughout the earth system via precipitation and evaporation, and the distribution of precipitation determines the distribution of biological productivity. The density difference between moist and dry air helps to drive the conv...

Though humans have been fishing for food since they first created tools to hunt, modern food systems are predominately terrestrial focused and fish are frequently overlooked. Yet, within the global food system, fish play an important role in meeting current and future food needs. Capture fisheries are the last large-scale “wild” food, and aquacultu...

Models represent very powerful tools to describe biophysical responses to environmental conditions. Particularly, the application of modeling for the description of pests and diseases in agriculture represents an important step toward the better understanding of pest epidemiology as well as an opportunity to support farmers in optimizing crop prote...

Extreme weather and climate events have over the years impacted human society and have currently become a more complex challenge with the changing climate. Many more climate change consequences have been recognized due to various environmental and social stresses in the last few decades. One way to assess the impacts of observed climate change is b...

Climate and other environmental changes are drawing unprecedented concern and attention from national governments, international organizations and local communities. Global warming has left noticeable impacts on the environment and the ecosystems it supports (including humans), and has important implications for sustainable economic and social deve...

Temperature and rainfall patterns in Cambodia are governed by monsoons and characterized by two major wet and dry seasons. The average annual rainfall is 1,400 mm in the central low land regions and may reach 4,000 mm in certain coastal zones or in highland areas. The annual average temperature is 28 °C, with an average maximum temperature of 38 °C...

Drought is widely recognized as a slow creeping natural hazard that occurs as a consequence of the natural climatic variability. In recent years, concern has grown world-wide that droughts may be increasing in frequency and severity given the changing climatic conditions. Responses to droughts in most parts of the world are generally reactive in te...

There is increasing concern worldwide about the ineffectiveness of current drought management practices that are largely based on crisis management. These practices are reactive and, therefore, only treat the symptoms (impacts) of drought rather than the underlying causes for the vulnerabilities associated with impacts. Through the adoption of nati...

Drought is among the most damaging, and least understood, of all “natural” hazards. Although some droughts last a single season and affect only small areas, the instrumental and paleoclimate records show that droughts have sometimes continued for decades and have impacted millions of square kilometers in North America, West Africa, and East Asia. T...

D rought is widely recognized as a slow creeping natural hazard that occurs as a consequence of the natural climatic variability. In recent years, concern has grown worldwide that droughts may be increasing in frequency and severity given the changing climatic conditions. Responses to droughts in most parts of the world are generally reactive (i.e....

To develop informed decisions on practical adaptation strategies in the WANA region, breakout groups were constituted for four different sectors: Crops; Livestock, Grasslands and Rangelands; Land Use, Forestry, Fisheries and Aquaculture; and Institutions, Policy and Cooperation. Summaries of the discussions in the different breakout groups are pres...

The countries of West Asia and North Africa (WANA) have long had the challenge of providing sustainable livelihoods for their populations in the fragile ecosystems of semi-arid and arid areas, facing the challenging issues of water scarcity, drought, land degradation and desertification. Climate change is already a reality in WANA and it places add...

The International Conference on Adaptation to Climate Change and Food Security in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) was held at the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR) from 13 to 16 November 2011. It was jointly sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near Eas...

The use of satellite data in applications has changed as the environmental community has become more sophisticated deriving products from the remotely sensed measurements. This introduction summarizes the changes from the first satellites where the images were used to improve cloud forecasts to the international coordination groups that have formed...

Drought is a normal part of climate for virtually all of the world's climatic regimes. To better address the risks associated with this hazard and societal vulnerability, there must be a dramatic paradigm shift in our approach to drought management in the coming decade in the light of the increasing frequency of droughts and projections of increase...

The current financial crisis around the world is putting considerable stress on developing countries and countries in transition which are faced with the twin challenges of coping with the soaring food prices and the impacts of climate change on agriculture in the fragile economies of their countries. Agricultural sector is weather dependent and va...

Climate impacts vegetation type, biomass and diversity. Evidence from observations of the climate system has led to the conclusion that human activities are contributing to a warming of the earth's atmosphere. To better understand the linkages between climate change and land degradation, it is important to identify the sources and sinks of carbon,...

Crisis management has typically characterized governmental response to drought. This approach has been ineffective, leading to untimely and poorly coordinated responses. The growing frequency and magnitude of droughts in many parts of the world call for the development of a pro-active, risk-based approach, the tenets of which are outlined in a nati...

South Asia is home to nearly 22% of the world’s population, including 40% of the world’s poor. Agriculture plays a critical role in terms of employment and livelihood security for a large majority of people in all countries of the region. The region is prone to climatic extremes, which regularly impact agricultural production and farmers’ livelihoo...

South Asia, is home to over one fifth of the world’s population and is known to be the most disaster prone region in the world. The high rates of ­population growth, and natural resource degradation, with continuing high rates of poverty and food insecurity make South Asia one of the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change. In gene...

This paper discusses the key information needs to reduce the negative impacts of weather variability and climate change on land degradation and food security, and identifies the opportunities and barriers between the information and services needed. It suggests that vulnerability assessments based on a livelihood concept that includes climate infor...

Food security is expected to face increasing challenges from climatic risks that are more and more exacerbated by climate change, especially in the developing world. This document lists some of the main capabilities that have been recently developed, especially in the area of operational agroclimatology, for an efficient use of natural resources an...

In the 21st Century, the peoples of the world are facing multi-faceted challenges of climate variability and climate change, which requires wise and well-informed decision-making at every level from households, communities, countries and regions, to international fora, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Those decisions will re...

This paper will give an overview of the various impacts of sand and dust storms on agriculture and then address the potential applications of a Sand and Dust Storm Warning System (SDSWS) for agricultural users. Sand and dust storms have many negative impacts on the agricultural sector including: reducing crop yields by burial of seedlings under san...

Sustainability conveys the idea of a balance between human needs and environmental concerns. A common theme amongst definitions of sustainability is that sustainable agricultural systems remain productive over time. They should provide for the needs of current, as well as future generations, while conserving natural resources. The enhancement of en...

The definition of land degradation in the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) gives explicit recognition to climatic variations as one of the major factors contributing to land degradation. In order to accurately assess sustainable land management practices, the climate resources and the risk of climate-related or induced na...

During an Inter-Regional Workshop on Improving Agrometeorological Bulletins in Barbados in October 2001, participants recommended that a dedicated web server be developed for distributing agrometeorological products from WMO members. Subsequently, an Expert Group Meeting on Internet Applications for Agrometeorological Products was held in Washingto...

An international workshop to discuss the contribution of agriculture to climate was held in Ottawa, Canada, from 27 to 30 September 2004. It was organized under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Environment Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). Topics included the development of agriculture, land use change,...

Deserts are known to mankind, but the term desertification has always been an elusive concept. It is now defined in the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as land degradation in the drylands (land falling within arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas) resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human...

Agricultural production is highly dependent on weather, climate and water availability, and is adversely affected by weather- and climate-related disasters. Failure of rains and occurrence of natural disasters such as floods and droughts could lead to crop failures, food insecurity, famine, loss of property and life, mass migration, and negative na...

Weather and climatic conditions are the most important production factors for agriculture. Farmers within any agroecosystem therefore try to adapt to these conditions as much as possible (Adger et al. 2005; Smit and Yunlong 1996). Farm technologies play a major role in this adaptation process in both the short and the long term. Farm technologies a...

In an age of such uncertainty over climate change, there are few more important issues than that of how we feed ourselves. We need to know more about the potential impact of climate uncertainty on our food supplies and this book is an important addition to the literature in this field. Improved adaptation of food production, particularly in areas w...

Participants in the workshop concluded that: 1. Over the past decade there were some developments that enhanced our knowledge of climate prediction applications in agriculture. These include the following: There has been increasing collaboration between climate and agricultural scientiests towards effective use of climate forecasts. There has been...

Participants in the workshop met in the three working groups to discuss important issues concerning climate and land degradation and develop appropriate conclusions and recommendations under the following three major headings: Current use of weather and climate information for monitoring and assessing land degradation and in developing sustainable...

In many parts of the world, climatic variations are recognized as one of the major factors contributing to land degradation impacting on agricultural systems performance and management. To accurately assess sustainable land management practices, the climate resources and the risk of climate-related or induced natural disasters in a region must be k...

In many parts of the world, weather and climate are one of the biggest production risks and uncertainty factors impacting on agricultural systems performance and management. Both structural and non-structural measures can be used to reduce the impacts of the variability (including extremes) of climate resources on crop production. While the structu...

Agriculture is a complex system, within which changes are driven by the joint effects of economic, environmental, political and social forces (Olmstead 1970; Bryant and Johnston 1992). It is very well known that agriculture is inherently sensitive to climate conditions and is among the sectors most vulnerable to weather and climate risks. Of the to...

Munich Re is one of the largest global reinsurers and has a long tradition in both the assessment of weather-related hazards and their impact on crop production and the development of appropriate risk management tools and crop insurance schemes. Munich Re’s underwriting of agricultural risks throughout the world is concentrated in its agricultural...

The past 2 decades have seen significant improvements in the forecasting of climate variability, based on advances in our understanding of ocean-atmosphere interactions. Such improvements permit the development of applications that predict climate at seasonal to interannual timescales, helping decision makers in the agricultural sector to deal more...

Micrometeorological measurements of evaporation were made for the first six weeks of the dry season at a fallow savannah site in the Sahel. The evaporation fell from typically 4.5 mm per day at the start of the dry season to 1.5 mm per day six weeks later. The surface conductance was modelled in terms of empirical functions of time of day, and the...

Agrometeorological information and services from the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) are increasingly being demanded by the farming community to cope more efficiently with climate variability and the increasing incidence of extreme meteorological events such as droughts, floods, frosts and wind erosion. While considerable...

Soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merrill cv. Wayne] plants were subjected to an extended drying cycle in the field to investigate the leaf sensitivity to water deficits. Soybeans in irrigated plots were superior to those in non-irrigated plots in the average size and number of leaflets per plant. Apparent differences in the leaf area distributions in the...

The arid and semi-arid regions account for approximately 30% of the world total area and are inhabited by approximately 20% of the total world population. Issues of present and future climate variability and change on agriculture and forestry in the arid and semi-arid tropics of the world were examined and discussion under each of these issues had...

The International Workshop on Reducing Vulnerability of Agriculture and Forestry to Climate Variability and Climate Change held in Ljubljana, Solvenia, from 7 to 9 October 2002 addressed a range of important issues relating to climate variability, climate change, agriculture, and forestry including the state of agriculture and forestry and agromete...

Recent advances in atmospheric and ocean sciences and a better understanding of the global climate have led to skillful climate forecasts at seasonal to interannual timescales, even in midlatitudes. These scientific advances and forecasting capabilities have opened the door to practical applications that benefit society. The benefits include the re...

The drylands of the world are affected by moderate to severe land degradation from wind erosion and there is evidence that the frequency of sand storms/dust storms in increasing. Human induced change is by far the most significant factor in the alarming increase of sand storms in some regions. The definition of sand storms and dust storms were pres...

Natural disasters play a major role in agricultural development and the economic cost associated with all natural disasters has increased 14 fold since the 1950s. Natural disasters are classified into hydro-meteorological and geophysical disasters. Definitions of various types of hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, droughts, cyclones, for...

This paper reviews the prospects for adaptation in world agriculture in the face of climate change. The record of experience from previous decades demonstrates a considerable capacity to adapt and there is general optimism that successful adaptation will be maintained. There are some grounds for concern because of the uncertainty surrounding global...

Agricultural production is highly dependent on weather, climate and water availability and is adversely affected by the weather and climate related disasters. Impacts of extreme events on the agricultural sector can be positive or negative. While it is easier to contemplate negative impacts of extreme events such as droughts, tropical cyclones and...

Agricultural production is highly dependent on weather, climate and water availability and is adversely affected by the weather and climate-related disasters. Droughts and natural disasters such as floods can result in crop failures, food insecurity, famine, loss of property and life, mass migration and negative national economic growth. It may not...

One of the major challenges facing humankind is to provide an equitable standard of living for this and future generations: adequate food, water and energy, safe shelter and a healthy environment. Human-induced climate change, and increasing climate variability, as well as other global environmental issues such as land degradation and loss of biolo...

Agricultural meteorology has advanced during the last 100 years from a descriptive to a quantitative science using physical and biological principles. The agricultural community is becoming more aware that using climate and weather information will improve their profitability and this will no doubt increase the demand for agrometeorological service...

Agricultural planning and use of agricultural technologies need applications of agricultural meteorology. Satellite remote sensing technology is increasingly gaining recognition as an important source of agrometeorological data as it can complement well the traditional methods agrometeorological data collection. Agrometeorologists all over the worl...

Published by World Metreological Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland

Drought is a normal, recurring feature of climate; it occurs in virtually all climatic regimes. It is the consequence of a natural reduction in the amount of precipitation received over an extended period, usually a season or more in length. The effects of drought accumulate slowly and its impacts are spread over a larger geographical area than are...

Effective drought early warning systems are an integral part of efforts worldwide to improve drought preparedness. Timely and reliable data and information must be the cornerstone of effective drought policies and plans. In pursuit of the goal of improving the effectiveness of drought early warning systems, participants of the experts meeting were...

Current concerns with the sustainability of agroecosystems in different parts of the world have hightened the awareness for careful use of the natural resource base on which agriculture depends. For proper and efficient use of soils and plant/animal genetic material, knowledge of the role of climate is an essential precondition. Several elements of...