During a typical wind erosion event, large variations in wind strength produce temporal variations in saltation activity. The focus of this paper is on a special type of unsteady behaviour ‐ intermittent saltation ‐ a process characterized by bursts of blowing soil interspersed with periods of inactivity. We report here measurements from a field study designed to measure intermittent saltation during three separate 1‐h periods. Our measurements show that natural wind erosion events consist of intermittent bursts of blowing soil often occupying a small fraction of the total time. We have managed to describe the level of intermittency by a simple and universal mathematical expression. We find that the level of intermittency is governed by whether typical wind fluctuations span the gap between the mean wind speed and threshold wind speed. We propose a nondimensional number which expresses the ratio of these velocity scales, called the relative wind strength, and find that the level of intermittency can be described by a simple distribution function of the relative wind strength.

Drought and high temperature are two major environmental factors that severely limit plant productivity in the United States and worldwide, often causing extensive economic loss to agriculture. As global climate change progresses, agricultural production worldwide faces serious threats from frequent extreme weather conditions. Integrated approaches that improve the efficiency of agricultural water use and development of plant varieties that can alleviate the negative impacts of environmental stresses to maintain yield stability are essential to sustain and increase agriculture production. Maize (Zea mays L.) is a major crop in the United States and worldwide. Its production and yield stability are greatly affected by drought and high temperature stresses. Improving drought and heat tolerance in maize has become one of the top priorities for maize breeding programs in both private and public sectors. Identification of maize germplasm with superior drought and/or heat tolerance is essential and prerequisite for such propose. In this report, we evaluated a selection of maize inbred lines for drought and heat stress tolerance under field conditions in 2009 and 2010 and identified several inbred lines that showed high tolerance to drought. Tolerant inbred lines (Tx205, C2A554-4, and B76) were able to maintain relatively high leaf relative water content when subjected to drought stress, while sensitive lines (B73 and C273A) showed a rapid reduction in leaf relative water content at very early stage of drought. The tolerant lines also showed significantly greater ability to maintain vegetative growth and alleviate damage to reproductive tissues under drought conditions compared to the sensitive lines. Maize inbred lines and hybrids were also evaluated for tolerance to high temperature under well-watered conditions through field observations following the occurrence of major heat events. Maize inbred lines of distinct heat tolerance phenotype were identified. Furthermore, genetic and phenotypic analysis showed that maize hybrids made from inbred lines with superior heat tolerance inherited an enhanced tolerance to elevated temperatures. The tolerant germplasm accessions, like those identified in this study, are essential materials for breeding drought-and/ or heat-tolerant maize hybrids. Study for the potential use of such materials to produce maize hybrids that are able to alleviate the negative impacts of drought and heat stress on the growth and development of maize plants is underway.Key words: climate change-crop production-drought-germplasm-high temperature-maize Water and temperature are two critical environmental factors that continually influence the growth and development of plants. Drought and temperature extremes can cause extensive economic loss to agriculture (Boyer 1982;Peng et al. 2004; NCDC 2011), an effect that is likely to increase as global climate change progresses (Stern 2006;Keane et al. 2009). The 2011 drought and heat waves (heat stress) have caused more than US$5 billion in direct lo...

No abstract

Accurate and reliable methods of measuring windblown sediment are needed to confirm, validate, and improve erosion models, assess the intensity of aeolian processes and related damage, determine the source of pollutants, and for other applications. This paper outlines important principles to consider in conducting field-scale wind erosion studies and proposes strategies of field data collection for use in model validation and development. Detailed discussions include consideration of field characteristics, sediment sampling, and meteorological stations. The field shape used in field-scale wind erosion research is generally a matter of preference and in many studies may not have practical significance. Maintaining a clear nonerodible boundary is necessary to accurately determine erosion fetch distance. A field length of about 300 m may be needed in many situations to approach transport capacity for saltation flux in bare agricultural fields. Field surface conditions affect the wind profile and other processes such as sediment emission, transport, and deposition and soil erodibility. Knowledge of the temporal variation in surface conditions is necessary to understand aeolian processes. Temporal soil properties that impact aeolian processes include surface roughness, dry aggregate size distribution, dry aggregate stability, and crust characteristics. Use of a portable 2 tall anemometer tower should be considered to quantify variability of friction velocity and aerodynamic roughness caused by surface conditions in field-scale studies. The types of samplers used for sampling aeolian sediment will vary depending upon the type of sediment to be measured. The Big Spring Number Eight (BSNE) and Modified Wilson and Cooke (MWAC) samplers appear to be the most popular for field studies of saltation. Suspension flux may be measured with commercially available instruments after modifications are made to ensure isokinetic conditions at high wind speeds. Meteorological measurements should include wind speed and direction, air temperature, solar radiation, relative humidity, rain amount, soil temperature and moisture. Careful consideration of the climatic, sediment, and soil surface characteristics observed in future field-scale wind erosion studies will ensure maximum use of the data collected.

No abstract

The association of tall precipitation with tropical cyclone intensification may have implications for the difficult task of forecasting the destructive potential of tropical cyclones. This study uses all of the well‐centered overflights of tropical cyclones from 1998 to 2003 seen by the TRMM Precipitation Radar. The chance of intensification increases when one or more extremely tall convective towers exist in the tropical cyclone's eyewall. We define an extremely tall convective tower as a convective cell with a 20 dBZ reflectivity signal that reaches an altitude of at least 14.5 km. In addition, we adapt this radar technique for use with more plentiful infrared and passive microwave data.

A basic feature of any wind-eroding surface is its threshold -the wind speed at which sediment transport is initiated. A new method was developed and tested that allows for the rapid determination of threshold under natural wind conditions in the field. A mathematical expression that relates saltation activity and relative wind strength was reformulated so that threshold may be calculated from measurements of saltation activity and the mean and standard deviation of wind speed. To test the new method and determine its usefulness, a field experiment was performed within a region of low-relief dunes on the Southern High Plains of West Texas. The experimental system consisted of a 2-m meteorological tower and a piezoelectric saltation sensor. It was found that during periods of active aeolian activity, threshold values could be calculated every 5 minutes. This new method allows for routine monitoring of surface threshold conditions in the field. Example threshold calculations are presented and they demonstrate that the method works well. Published in 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

No abstract