A study of agroclimatology in semi-arid and arid zones of the near east: G. Perrin de Brichambaut and C.C. Wallén. World Meteorological Organization. Geneva, 1963, 64 pp., 8 illus., 3 tables, Sw. Fr. 6.00. (W.M.O. Technical Note No.56; W.M.O.-No.141 T.P.66.)
✍ Scribed by Milton J. Blanc
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1965
- Weight
- 134 KB
- Volume
- 2
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0002-1571
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✦ Synopsis
W.M.O. Technical Note No.56 is an excellent example of a most useful cooperative project of three international agencies, F.A O., UNESCO, and W.M.O. The objective was to investigate the basic climatic conditions for agriculture in a region where little previous such work had been done and where an extension of cultivated land and an increase of agricultural production might be possible. A suitable area in the Near East was chosen. The two principal investigators and authors are well-known experts in their respective disciplines.
Work was started in July, 1960, by Mr. G. Perrin de Brichambaut, agronomist, of the F.A.O. Headquarters, supported for a time by Dr. 1. Weiss, Germany, as consultant climatologist. In March, 1961, Dr. C. C. Wall6n of the Swedish Meteorological Service was recruited by W.M.O. as the team climatologist. Personal visits by both investigators were made to all countries in the basic region of study.
Results of the investigation were originally presented in two F.A.O. reports. One, the smaller "General Report", summarized the conclusions and recommendations. The other, a larger "Technical Report", gives a more complete and detailed analysis of data, methods and results. W.M.O. Technical Note No. 56 is basically the smaller "General Report" with minor revisions. This report was examined by the W.M.O. Commission for Agricultural Meteorology at its Toronto meeting (C.Ag.M.-III)~ July, 1962. A recommendation was made for a similar study in Africa. Such a study is now underway in F.A.O. headquarters under Mr. Jacques Cocheme for a belt south of the Sahara.
The basic area covered by Technical Note No.56 consists of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Iran. Comparisons are made with other parts of the world having a similar Mediterranean type climate. An early section of the Note describes the general agricultural and climatological characteristics of the region. This is followed by a careful analysis of the precipitation regimes. The authors recognize the difficulties in applying rigorous statistical techniques to the sparse data available. However, within the limitations imposed, they develop useful measures of inter-annual variability from which certain probabilities, both seasonal and annual, are deduced. One map presents annual rainfall over the area with a superimposed line marking the theoretical outer limit for dryland farming. This is recognized as an approximation which could be improved upon with more data. Another map shows the relative inter-annual variability of annual rainfall in percentage.
Here we must point out one of the primary deficiencies of this Note. Because it is based on a general report which omitted details of methods, it too omits some rather necessary explanatory material. The formula for inter-annual variability is