Mid-June in Utah usually marks the tail end of the most fertile time of year for crops. In a typical year, snowmelt in April and May wets the soil, resulting in a burst of blooming flowers and crop growth.
“Usually we have a beautiful, green landscape right now,” said Dr. Jon Meyer, a research climatologist with the Utah Climate Center. “It’s one of my favorite times of year because we get green for six weeks — and then we go back to brown for the rest of the year.”Not so this year. Drought has gripped the American West, and in Utah, more than 92 percent of the state meets the criteria for “extreme drought,” fueled by what Dr. Meyer described as “a deadly combination of record heat and record dry.” In a recent presentation on drought in the Southwest, Meyer showed a collection of grim indicators: high temperatures, little rainfall, low soil moisture, and finally, poor vegetative health.This last indicator has become an important metric for climate scientists and meteorologists trying to understand how weather and temperature impact the health of crops, and as an extension, food security, food prices and the global agricultural market.
Tracking Crop Health
216 million acres of cropsion acres of crops are experiencing drought conditions and 76 million people are affected by drought, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. Globally, more than 1 billion people, nearly one-sixth of the world’s population, suffer from chronic hunger and malnutrition, and drought is a major factor.
