Free webinar open to anyone interested in ‘flash droughts’ and how they affect agriculture

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Flash droughts are characterized by the rapid onset and development of drought conditions. These types of droughts can adversely affect vegetation health by quickly depleting root zone soil moisture and increasing moisture stress. Significant yield loss can occur in agricultural regions if a flash drought develops during sensitive stages in the growing season.

Great Plains Grazing team members, Jordan Christian and Jeffrey Basara, will present a free webinar, “New Insights into Flash Droughts across the United States” at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16. The webinar is open to anyone interested in learning more about flash droughts. Specifically, webinar participants can expect to learn what defines a flash drought, hot spots for flash droughts in the United States, and characteristics of flash drought.

Christian is a Ph.D. student working under Basara in the School of Meterology at the University of Oklahoma. His dissertation work is focused on flash droughts, with current research investigating the characteristics and regional hot spots of flash droughts across the U.S.

Basara, who is an associate professor, serves as both the director of the Kessler Atmospheric and Ecological Research Station and the director of research at the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. His research focuses on the integration of our understanding across weather, climate, water, and ecosystems. A large component of his research program deals with hydrometeorology – the study of the transfer of water and energy between the land surface and the atmosphere. This includes the physical processes which impact the development of the lower layer of the atmosphere; the development, validation, and improvement of weather prediction models; and severe weather, such as droughts and flash floods.

More information and registration is available at http://bit.ly/2hPA4qv .

Source: KSU Extension