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Pesticide Accidents in Relation to Weather Conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

Don Fred  and
Edwin Kessler
Don Fred
Affiliation:
Department of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73069, USA
Edwin Kessler
Affiliation:
Director, National Severe Storms Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1313 Halley Circle, Norman, Oklahoma 73069, USA; Adjunct Professor, Department of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma.
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Extract

Research has shown that it is inadvisable to spray crops during either near-absolute calms or very windy conditions; therefore, we studied weather maps and reports of herbicide accidents to investigate the hypothesis that the strong positive correlation between largescale pressure gradient and wind-speed can be used to facilitate prediction of favourable spraying times in Oklahoma. We gave detailed study to the conditions of 10 May 1977, the date in that year when the most herbicide accidents were reported. Although a relatively large pressure gradient existed, there was only weak wind at the KTVY meteorologically instrumented tower (150 km distant from the area of the accidents). We also searched for a strong relationship between herbicide accidents and the pressure gradient through tabulations of daily gradients and accident reports. Only a slight tendency is shown for accidents to occur on days with larger gradients. Research and significant findings for this study were hampered by a lack of specificity and detail in accident reports.

Type
Main Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 7 , Issue 3 , Autumn 1980 , pp. 219 - 222
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1980

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References

REFERENCES

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