For NaRM 2st Year Regular

Students

By : Yohannes D. (MSc.)

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INTRODUCTION

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 BRAINSTORMING QUESTION

1. How can we incorporate a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach

to agro-meteorological practices and recommendations?

2. How can we improve the reliability and accuracy of weather and climate

predictions?

3. How can we translate these predictions into actionable advice for farmers in

Ethiopia, considering the different regions and climatic variations?

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 1.1 CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS

Weather and Climate

Weather: Involves the description of the atmospheric condition

at a single instant of time for a single occurrence.

➢ We expect the weather to change a lot from day to day (usually

24 hours).

➢ It is a state of the atmosphere (temperature, humidity, precipitation,

wind, and atmospheric pressure…) at a given time and place.

➢ It is constantly changing, highly variable and relatively

unpredictable.
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 CONT’D
It is a day to day state of the atmosphere.
➢ Comprised of
✓ Air temperature
✓ Air pressure
✓ Humidity
✓ Clouds
✓ Precipitation
✓ Visibility
✓ Wind

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 WHAT CAUSES WEATHER?
➢ The sun is the primary energy source that drives weather.

➢ Because the Earth is round and not flat, the Sun's rays don't fall evenly on

the land and oceans and create uneven heating of the Earth's

➢ The Sun shines more directly near the equator bringing these areas more

warm.

➢ However, the polar regions are at such an angle to the Sun that they get

little or no sunlight during the winter, causing colder temperatures.

➢ These differences in temperature create a restless movement of air and

water in great swirling currents to distribute heat energy from the Sun across
the planet.

➢ Different surfaces (land vs. water, equator vs. poles) absorb solar energy at

different rates leads to differences in air pressure.

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 Cont’d
➢ The Coriolis effect (due to the Earth's rotation) deflects these winds, creating
global wind patterns. [Link]
➢ Water absorbs and releases heat, influencing temperature and humidity.
➢ Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation are crucial processes in weather
creation.
➢ Clouds form, affecting solar radiation and precipitation patterns.
➢ When air masses meet, fronts develop (cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary
fronts, occluded fronts), leading to significant weather changes.
➢ Topography (mountains, valleys), bodies of water, and land use (urban areas)
can modify weather patterns on a local scale.
➢ For example, mountains can cause orographic lift and precipitation.

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 WHY DOWE HAVE SEASONS?
▪ As the earth rotations on its axis, producing night and day, it also

moves around the sun in an elliptical (elongated circle) orbit that

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requires about 365 days to complete and occur seasons
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▪ Different seasons occur because Earth is tilted on its axis relative

to the orbital plane.

▪ In June, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the

sun, the sun's rays hit it for a greater part of the day than in winter.

▪ This results in summer (June, July, August) season in the Northern

Hemisphere and Winter (December, January, February) in the

Southern Hemisphere.
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 Cont’d
• The December Southern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, receiving more
direct sunlight and longer days.
• This results in summer in the Southern Hemisphere and winter in the Northern
Hemisphere.
• During the March & September the hemisphere neither tilted significantly
towards the Sun.
• Both hemispheres receive roughly equal amounts of sunlight, resulting in nearly
equal day and night lengths.
• Autumn (September, October, November) transition from summer to winter in
the Northern Hemisphere, temperatures gradually decrease, and daylight hours
shorten.
• Spring (March, April, May) transition from winter to summer in the Northern
Hemisphere, temperatures gradually increase, and daylight hours lengthen.
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 Cont’d

➢ Climate: is generally defined as the average weather at

a given point and time of year, over a long period

(typically 25 - 30 years).
➢ Climate may be thought of as an average of
weather conditions over a period of time including the
probability for distributions from this average.
➢ It varies slowly and is highly predictable.

➢ We expect the climate to remain relatively constant.

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CONT’D

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 CONT’D

Climate is what you expect, but weather is what

you actually get.

Weather tells you what to wear today … climate

tells you what clothes to buy”

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 Meteorology and Climatology
• Meteorology: The scientific study of the earth’s atmosphere and
atmospheric phenomena, particularly weather processes and
forecasting.
• It involves the analysis and prediction of atmospheric conditions,
such as temperature, humidity, and wind patterns, to understand
and forecast weather events like storms, precipitation, and other
natural phenomena.
• It focuses on the short-term state of the atmosphere.
• It is a study the physical processes of the atmospheric conditions
• It is the physics of air
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 CONT’D
Meteorology is divided into a number of specialized
sciences.
Agricultural meteorology (Agro-meteorology)
Aviation Meteorology
Dynamic meteorology
Physical meteorology
Micrometeorology
Synoptic meteorology
Hydrometeorology
These are also some of the major sub-specializations within these
areas, and there can be overlap. 14
 CONT’D
➢ Agricultural meteorology (Agro-meteorology) application of
meteorological principles to agriculture.
➢ Focuses on the interactions/relationship between weather and
crops, livestock, and agricultural practices.
➢ Aviation Meteorology Providing weather information and
forecasts for the aviation industry to ensure safe and efficient
flight operations.

➢ Dynamic meteorology the study of the winds and the

fundamental physical laws that govern atmospheric motion.

➢ Involves developing and using mathematical models to simulate

atmospheric processes. 15
➢ Micrometeorology Study of the atmospheric processes occurring very
close to the Earth's surface (smaller than 1 sq. km), such as
turbulence, heat transfer, and evaporation.
➢ Important for understanding agricultural environments.

➢ Synoptic meteorology is the study analysis and forecast of large-

scale/large areas weather systems that exist for more than one day
using surface and upper-air observations.
➢ Physical meteorology deals with the physical processes occurring in
the atmosphere, such as formation cloud, precipitation/rain, radiation
transfer/lightning and atmospheric optics/thunderstorms
➢ Hydrometeorology: The study of the water cycle as related to
meteorology. 16
 CONT’D
❖ Climatology:deals with the scientific study of “climate” and the
analysis of the causes of climatic differences and
changes in different regions and their practical consequences
❖ It examines average weather conditions over long periods (e.g., 30
years or more).
❖ It seeks to describe and explain the nature of climate: why it vary
from place to place and
❖ How it is related to other elements of the natural environment and
human activities

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 Key Differences Between Meteorology and Climatology

✓ Meteorology deals with short-term atmospheric conditions (hours,

days, weeks), while climatology deals with long-term averages and
trends (years, decades, centuries).
✓ Meteorology focuses on predicting and explaining specific
weather events, while climatology focuses on understanding
climate patterns and their variability.
✓ Meteorology uses real-time observations and numerical models to
forecast weather while
✓ Climatology uses historical data and statistical analysis to study
climate trends and changes.
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 1.2. The Scope of Climatology and Agr-Meteorology
➢ Weather and climate is a resource that considered as basic

input in: Agricultural planning, Every plant processrelated with

growth development and Crop yielding
❖ Purpose of agro-meteorology is transforming knowledge on
climate to useful information for agriculture.
❖ Object of a grometeorology is to integrate the relationship
between meteorological conditions (weather and climate) and
agricultural production (field and garden crops; forestry; livestock
breeding)

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Agricultural meteorology:

✓ A branch of applied meteorology which investigates the physical

conditions of the environment of growing plants or animal

organisms.

✓ To study the interaction between meteorological and

hydrological factors on the one hand and agriculture in the widest
sense horticulture, animal husbandry and forestry…..

✓ Agro-meteorology is the study of using weather and climate

information to improve crop growth and crop yields.

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Meteorology Agricultural meteorology
Branch of atmospheric physics Branch of applied meteorology or a
branch of agriculture as it deals
with agriculture
It is a weather science It is a product of agriculture and
meteorology
It is a physical science It is a biophysical science
It aims at weather forecasting It aims at improving quantity and
quality of crop production through
meteorological skills
Weather service is the concern Agro advisory service to the
farmers is the concern based on
weather forecast
It is a linking science to the society It is a linking science to the farming
community
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Importance of Agricultural Meteorology
•Facilitating strategic planning for cropping patterns and systems.
•Determining optimal sowing dates for maximizing crop yields.
•Implementing cost-effective practices in plowing, harrowing,
weeding, and etc.
•Minimizing losses of applied chemicals and fertilizers.
•Applying careful irrigation practices for crops.
•Restructuring the harvesting process for all crops.
•Mitigating or eradicating outbreaks of pests and diseases.
•Effectively managing soils shaped by weather processes.
•Addressing and managing weather irregularities such as hurricanes,
heavy rainfall, floods, drought, etc. 22
 Scope of Agro-meteorology

✓ To study climatic resources of a given area for effective crop

planning.
✓ To evolve weather based effective farm operations.

✓ To study crop weather relationships in all important crops and

forecast crop yields based on agro climatic and spectral
indices using remote sensing.
✓ Examining the correlation between weather factors and the
incidence of pests and diseases in diverse crops.
✓ To delineate climatic/agro- ecological zones for defining agro
climatic similarities so as to make effective and fast transfer of
technology for improving crop yields. 23
✓ To prepare crop weather diagrams and crop weather calendars.
✓ To develop crop growth simulation models for
assessing/obtaining potential yields in different agro climatic zones.

✓ To monitor agricultural droughts on crop-wise for effective drought

management.
✓ To develop weather based agro advisories to sustain crop production

utilizing various types of weather forecast and seasonal climate

forecast.

✓ To investigate microclimatic aspects of crop canopy in order to modify

them for increased crop growth

✓ To study the influence of weather on soil environment on which the

crop is grown
✓ To investigate the influence of weather in protected area.
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✓ Managing weather abnormalities like heavy rainfall, floods,

drought [Link] can be achieved by

✓ (a) Protection: When rain is forecast avoid irrigation. But,

when frost is forecast apply irrigation.

✓ (b) Avoidance: Avoid fertilizer and chemical sprays
when rain is forecast
✓ (c) Mitigation: Use shelter belts against cold and heat
waves.

✓ Effective environmental protection.

✓ Avoiding or minimizing losses due to forest fires

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Scope of Climatology
i. Understanding the distribution of different climate types across
the globe.
ii. Examining climate variations within specific regions.
iii. Studying the long-term changes in global and regional climates.
iv. Analyzing the natural fluctuations in climate, such as El Niño
and La Niña.
v. Assessing the effects of climate on various sectors, including
agriculture, water resources, human health, and ecosystems.
vi. Developing and using climate models to project future climate
scenarios.
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1.3 Application of Climatology and Meteorology on Agriculture

 Climatology and meteorology are used in agriculture to improve crop

production and quality, reduce losses, and increase efficiency.

 The application of meteorology to agriculture is essential, since every facet

of agricultural activity depends on the weather and climate.

 The application of climatology and meteorology in agriculture is vital for

optimizing crop production, managing resources, and mitigating the impact of

climate variability and extreme weather events.
 By influence climatology and meteorology, user can make informed decisions

that enhance agricultural productivity, sustainability, and resilience to climate

variability and change.

 A solid foundation of data is a prerequisite for successful agricultural

meteorological applications.
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1.3 Application of Climatology and Meteorology on Agriculture

 The successful application of weather and climate information needs to

integrate three components: data, analysis, and users.

Analysis of data is needed that tries to solve an agricultural problem.

Benefits derived from applications

✓ The productivity of a region or a particular enterprise may be increased by

the reduction of many kinds of loss resulting from unfavourable climate and
weather, and also by the more rational use of labour and equipment.

✓ Greater economy of effort is achieved on the farm, largely by the

reduction of activities that have little value or are potentially harmful.

✓ All of these increase the competitiveness of production, reduce risk and help
to reduce the cost of the final products.

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 Applications for farmers or groups of farmers

 Improvements to production

▪ Irrigation

✓ In its broadest terms, irrigation involves water balance

calculations based on rainfall, estimation of water

infiltration (effective rainfall), runoff,
evapotranspiration (ET), and soil moisture.

▪ Shelter from the wind

✓ Windbreaks as structures that reduce wind speed and

shelterbelts as rows of trees planted for wind protection.

✓ Shade 29
➢ The scope of Meteorology can be established through the

following few applications of agricultural area:-

 Several key areas where these disciplines are applied in agriculture includes

✓Crop planning and management(seasonal forecasts, crop selection)

✓Irrigation management (water use efficiency, drought monitoring)
✓Pest and disease management (predictive models, growth conditions)
✓Soil management (soil moisture monitoring, climate adaptation practices)
✓Yield prediction and assessment (climate modeling, historical data analysis)
✓Climate change adaptation (research and development, policy formulation)
✓Risk management (insurance models, contingency planning)

1. Characterization of agricultural climate:

❑ For determining crop growing season, solar radiation, air temperature, precipitation,
wind, humidity etc. for maximizing crop production and economical benefits.
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✓ Characterization of agricultural climate involves assessing and
understanding the various climatic factors that influence agricultural
practices and the production of crops and livestock.
✓ This characterization helps farmers, agronomists, and planners
make informed decisions to optimize yield and sustainability.
Key components of agricultural climate characterization include:
✓ Temperature patterns determination over times to determine the
growing season.
✓ Understanding seasonal and annual rainfall patterns, including
variability and intensity.
✓ Degerming humidity and evapotranspiration
✓ Degerming wind patterns (speed and direction) 31
✓ Determination of soil climate interactions (soil temperature and
moisture)
✓ Determination of microclimates variability (shelterbelts and
windbreaks
✓ Categorizing regions based on climate types and suitability for
specific crops.
✓ Assessing long terme changing climate patterns may alter
agricultural viability.
✓ Determination of climatic change pattern (el niño and la niña)
effects
✓ Analyzing historical data to predict potential drought frequency and
severity conditions and their impacts on agriculture. 32
 CONT’D
2. Crop planning for stability in production:
➢ To reduce risk of crop failure on climatic part

➢ So as to get stabilized yields even under weather

adversity,

➢ Suitable crops/cropping patterns/contingent cropping

planning
3. Crop management:

➢ Management of crop involves various farm operations such as, sowing &

fertilizer application.

➢ Plant protection, irrigation scheduling, harvesting etc. can be carried out

on the basis of specially tailored weather support.

➢ For this the use of operational forecasts, available from agro met advisories, is

made. 33
4. Crop Monitoring:
CONT’D
➢ To check crop health and growth performance of a crop

5. Crop modeling and yield –climate relationship:

➢ Suitable crop models, devised for the purpose can provide

information or predict the results about the growth and yield

when the current and past weather data is used.
6. Research in crop –climate relationship:

➢ Agro-meteorology can help to understand crop-climate

relationship so as to resolve complexities of plant process in
relation to its micro climate.
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 CONT’D
7. Climate as a tool to analyze soil moisture stress:

➢ Soil moisture can be exactly determined from climatic water

balance method, Which is used to diagnose the soil moisture

stress, drought and necessary protective measures
8. Soil formation:

➢ Soil formation process depend on climatic factors like

temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind etc,

➢ Thus climate is a major factor in soil formation and

development.

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