Author
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Lentz, Rodrick |
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Submitted to: Yearbook of Science and Technology
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 1/14/1995 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Precipitation sustains nearly all terrestrial plants and animals. Both rainfed and irrigated agriculture depend on an appropriate amount and distribution of annual rain and snowfall. Precipitation initiates infiltration, recharge, runoff, and erosion processes. These interact with anthropogenic factors, resulting in the contamination of surface waters with sediments, nutrients, and organic wastes; and adulteration of groundwater via soil transport of surface applied compounds. It is important to better understand how precipitation may vary in the landscape if we are to maximize agricultural productivity and minimize potential adverse environmental hazards. This paper discusses how wind interacts with earth surface relief to influence rainfall distribution in the landscape. Wind-terrain interactions alter rainfall uniformity across the landscape at several spatial scales. Large- (400 km), small- (80 km), and micro-scale (< 30 m) effects on convective and cyclonic precipitation are discussed. Studies have shown that even small-scale topographic features significantly influence precipitation uniformity in the landscape; and for rainfed agricultural lands, it may be economically beneficial to manage soils in high rainfall areas of the landscape differently from those in low rainfall areas. |
