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Applied climatology — An introduction
Agricultural Meteorology,, 19(1978) 155--157 © Elsewer Scmntfflc Pubhshmg Company, Amsterdam -- Printed m The Netherlands B o o k Reviews
Apphed Chmatology -- An Introduction. J o h n F. Gnfflths, O x f o r d University Press, L o n d o n , 1976, 2nd ed., 136 pp., $4.00. In 1966, the first edition of this book appeared, 10 years later in the preface to the second edition, the a ut hor says that the revised edltmn introduces a simple chmatm classification w i t h o u t stressing the K oppen system. He also points o ut t hat there are new chapters deahng with two facets of growing interest, urban chmates and chmatm change, bot h having Im port ant practical lmphcatlons. Despite the 10 year lapse between the editions, the approach is relatively conservative; nevertheless, it will continue to be a very useful t e x t for m any students s tu d y m g apphcatlons m the atmospheric scmnces. This m itself is possibly a reflection on the relatively slow rate of change that has taken place m most educational courses in the atmospheric scmnces -- whatever their departmental origin, in spite of the rapidly growing interest m the lmpllcatmns and apphcatlons of weather Information (past, real-time, and forecast) m regmnal, natmnal, and international planning. Consequently, it is t o be regretted th at o p p o r t u n i t y was n o t taken to place more emphasis, m this second edition, on real world problems -- and the value of weather information m helping to solve these problems -- rather than on what could be called " e d u c a t i o n a l " problems. The b o o k is dlwded into 19 chapters, on the following major topics: instruments, elements of apphed chmatology, ocean currents and air masses, the climate of the standard continent, chmatlc classlfmatlons, mlcrochmates, t o geth er with many aspects of chmate a n d . . softs/vegetation/agriculture/
forestry /humans/animals/bulldmg/hydrology /lndustry /communmatlons/and transport. In addition, there is a chapter on the urban e n w r o n m e n t , and the changing climate, and a brief -- t oo brief m fact m view of the ever-growing i m po r tan ce of apphed climatology particularly outside the educatmnal e n vir o n men t -- i n t r o d u c t o r y chapter on " T h e Growing Science of Applied C hmato lo g y " . As a conventmnal approach to applied chm at ol ogy the b o o k is t o be rec o m m e n d e d , and supplemented with additmnal material from the references given, it -- hke the first editmn -- will continue to be widely used as a teachmg text. Indeed as a source of factual i nf or mat i on about " c h m a t e a n d . " it could be correctly described as a neat, concise package. Regrettably however, to this reviewer at least, ~t lacks purpose, and although students could be excused for using it as a text, the pity is that their teachers and advisors might incorrectly beheve that the Grffflths approach is the only one to follow.
156
There are I beheve many approaches to the growing science of apphed chmatology, and although Griffiths Apphed Chmatology should certmnly be used as a bas~sfor any studms (and Grlfflths would probably say that this ts xts purpose), it is regrettable that the author did not choose to " r e t h m k " his approach in the second edltmn of this book. Indeed, I am sure that he does have many new things to say, whmh perhaps, he is already putting on paper for a new b o o k " A p p h e d Chmatology -- A New Approach". I certainly hope SO.
W
J. M A U N D E R
(Welhngton)
Agrwultural Research for Development: The Namulonge Contribution. M. H. Arnold (Editor). Pp. x + 353 (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, London and New York, 1976), x + 353 pp., £13.
The Cotton Research Corporation was established in 1921 as the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation, its titleuntil 1967; it was concerned with improving cotton production on small farms, mostly in Africa. Most of the Corporation's staff were at national institutes in cotton growing countries but from 1946 a b o u t a quarter worked at the Corporation's research station at Namulonge, Uganda, a b o u t 40 km north of Lake Victoria. This b o o k , written by recent members o f its staff and edited by the last Director, reports the development and achievements at Namulonge until 1972 when the research station was given to the Government of Uganda. When Namulonge was chosen as the site for the research station Uganda was one of the largest producers of c o t t o n under British Administration and most of the crop was grown in the area around Namulonge. However, it was not typical o f c o t t o n growing areas so investigation of the climatic environment was an important part of the research programme from the beginning. The chapter on agrometeorology gives an excellent critical review o f H. L. Manning's work on rainfall probability and H, G. Farbrother's investigations of rainfall intensity and run-off, and of the relation between soil-water balance and crop performance. Later D. A. Rijks extended the study of agrometeorology by excellent det~tiled measurements within crops and other vegetation; he also established, with the cooperation of the East African meteorological, hydrological and aapricultttral services, a comprehensive network of observation stations in Uganda to provide estimates of potential evaporation. Chemical aspects o f soil fertility were complex and their solution was made more difficult by the poor performance of c o t t o n during the 1950s when there was a moisture deficit for cotton in most years; b u t rainfall in the 1960s was excessive. The chapter on soil productivity discusses this change in
Apphed Chmatology -- An Introduction. J o h n F. Gnfflths, O x f o r d University Press, L o n d o n , 1976, 2nd ed., 136 pp., $4.00. In 1966, the first edition of this book appeared, 10 years later in the preface to the second edition, the a ut hor says that the revised edltmn introduces a simple chmatm classification w i t h o u t stressing the K oppen system. He also points o ut t hat there are new chapters deahng with two facets of growing interest, urban chmates and chmatm change, bot h having Im port ant practical lmphcatlons. Despite the 10 year lapse between the editions, the approach is relatively conservative; nevertheless, it will continue to be a very useful t e x t for m any students s tu d y m g apphcatlons m the atmospheric scmnces. This m itself is possibly a reflection on the relatively slow rate of change that has taken place m most educational courses in the atmospheric scmnces -- whatever their departmental origin, in spite of the rapidly growing interest m the lmpllcatmns and apphcatlons of weather Information (past, real-time, and forecast) m regmnal, natmnal, and international planning. Consequently, it is t o be regretted th at o p p o r t u n i t y was n o t taken to place more emphasis, m this second edition, on real world problems -- and the value of weather information m helping to solve these problems -- rather than on what could be called " e d u c a t i o n a l " problems. The b o o k is dlwded into 19 chapters, on the following major topics: instruments, elements of apphed chmatology, ocean currents and air masses, the climate of the standard continent, chmatlc classlfmatlons, mlcrochmates, t o geth er with many aspects of chmate a n d . . softs/vegetation/agriculture/
forestry /humans/animals/bulldmg/hydrology /lndustry /communmatlons/and transport. In addition, there is a chapter on the urban e n w r o n m e n t , and the changing climate, and a brief -- t oo brief m fact m view of the ever-growing i m po r tan ce of apphed climatology particularly outside the educatmnal e n vir o n men t -- i n t r o d u c t o r y chapter on " T h e Growing Science of Applied C hmato lo g y " . As a conventmnal approach to applied chm at ol ogy the b o o k is t o be rec o m m e n d e d , and supplemented with additmnal material from the references given, it -- hke the first editmn -- will continue to be widely used as a teachmg text. Indeed as a source of factual i nf or mat i on about " c h m a t e a n d . " it could be correctly described as a neat, concise package. Regrettably however, to this reviewer at least, ~t lacks purpose, and although students could be excused for using it as a text, the pity is that their teachers and advisors might incorrectly beheve that the Grffflths approach is the only one to follow.
156
There are I beheve many approaches to the growing science of apphed chmatology, and although Griffiths Apphed Chmatology should certmnly be used as a bas~sfor any studms (and Grlfflths would probably say that this ts xts purpose), it is regrettable that the author did not choose to " r e t h m k " his approach in the second edltmn of this book. Indeed, I am sure that he does have many new things to say, whmh perhaps, he is already putting on paper for a new b o o k " A p p h e d Chmatology -- A New Approach". I certainly hope SO.
W
J. M A U N D E R
(Welhngton)
Agrwultural Research for Development: The Namulonge Contribution. M. H. Arnold (Editor). Pp. x + 353 (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, London and New York, 1976), x + 353 pp., £13.
The Cotton Research Corporation was established in 1921 as the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation, its titleuntil 1967; it was concerned with improving cotton production on small farms, mostly in Africa. Most of the Corporation's staff were at national institutes in cotton growing countries but from 1946 a b o u t a quarter worked at the Corporation's research station at Namulonge, Uganda, a b o u t 40 km north of Lake Victoria. This b o o k , written by recent members o f its staff and edited by the last Director, reports the development and achievements at Namulonge until 1972 when the research station was given to the Government of Uganda. When Namulonge was chosen as the site for the research station Uganda was one of the largest producers of c o t t o n under British Administration and most of the crop was grown in the area around Namulonge. However, it was not typical o f c o t t o n growing areas so investigation of the climatic environment was an important part of the research programme from the beginning. The chapter on agrometeorology gives an excellent critical review o f H. L. Manning's work on rainfall probability and H, G. Farbrother's investigations of rainfall intensity and run-off, and of the relation between soil-water balance and crop performance. Later D. A. Rijks extended the study of agrometeorology by excellent det~tiled measurements within crops and other vegetation; he also established, with the cooperation of the East African meteorological, hydrological and aapricultttral services, a comprehensive network of observation stations in Uganda to provide estimates of potential evaporation. Chemical aspects o f soil fertility were complex and their solution was made more difficult by the poor performance of c o t t o n during the 1950s when there was a moisture deficit for cotton in most years; b u t rainfall in the 1960s was excessive. The chapter on soil productivity discusses this change in