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PRISM: The New Climate Mapping Paradigm
The
impacts of climate on agriculture have been documented for many years, but
only recently has there been an opportunity to view climate impacts on
agriculture from a entirely new high resolution spatial perspective. Dr. Chris
Daly, developer of the Parameter-elevation Regression on Independent Slopes
Model (PRISM) and PRISM Group Director, has successfully described how the
climate changes with elevation, topographic irregularities, coastal proximity,
along with many other physical properties that effect temperature and
precipitation. For the past 12 years, NRCS has forged a strong partnership
with The PRISM Group at Oregon State University in Corvallis. What makes PRISM
unique is the ability for it to fill in data gaps that occur between widely
separated weather stations, many of which are located only at lower
elevations.
PRISM products includes colorful monthly and annual maps of temperature,
precipitation, and an assortment of other parameters at 4.0 kilometer
resolution based on the 1961-1990 period averages as well as gridded data that
can be imported as a layer in most Geographical Information Systems, including
ArcMap. In July 2006, the
new
PRISM ~800 meter resolution products, based on the latest climate averages
period (1971-2000), will be available via the internet at the National
Cartographic and Geospatial Center.
In upcoming weeks, we will feature articles about how PRISM is changing the
way NRCS manages natural resources, improves agricultural production, and
views climate and climate change. Articles will center on how PRISM
methodology will help improve the quality of NRCS’ SNOTEL climate data, and
help in optimizing the placement of future weather stations that would be used
to monitor snowfall, drought, and ultimately the water supplies in the West.
Your contact is Jan Curtis, NRCS
applied climatologist, at 503-414-3017.
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