In summer 2018, Europe experienced a record-breaking heat wave and drought, leading to widespread harvest failures and risks of bankruptcy for farmers.
At the same time, south-east Australia suffers from one of its most severe droughts on record, threatening the livelihoods of grain farmers and livestock managers.
Climate extreme events, such as droughts, heat waves, cold spells or heavy precipitation events, are projected to increase under climate change in many regions worldwide.
Understanding the effect of such events on crop yields is crucial to predict the response of agricultural production to climate extremes and inform adaptation processes.
This talk examines the effect of temperature and precipitation extremes on the yields of four major crops — maize, rice, soybeans, and wheat, using a global, high-resolution yield dataset and global, gridded data on past weather conditions and climate extremes.
By applying a range of novel statistical methods, this presentation investigates the complex interactions between changes in climate conditions during the growing season and yield fluctuations, and identifies most influential climate factors for predicting crop yield anomalies.
Register for the Australia-German Energy College seminar, which you can either personally attend the Wednesday, November 7, event or join the webinar.
