CropClimate: Measuring the Effects of Climatic Teleconnections on USA Agriculture

Many publications in the scientific literature have shown the effects of large scale atmospheric/oceanic features and circulations such as El Niņo and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the regional climate of the USA. In this study we analyzed the effects of these climatic relationships, also known as teleconnections, on USA's major crops. The objective was to establish empirical relationships between these teleconnections and crops in the USA to improve the discussion/decision making made by stakeholders. The teleconnection indices used in this study were ENSO, the Oceanic Niņo Index (ONI), the Arctic Oscillation (AO), the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Pacific-North American Pattern (PNA), and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). The studied crops where corn, soybean, wheat (spring and winter), sorghum, beans, barley, oat, potato, cotton (upland and Pima), and hay. Relationships between climatic teleconnections and crop responses were statistically measured at county level comparing the different phases of each teleconnection index. Results from this research will be freely available at CropClimate.com and expected to be used by extensionists in the country to communicate with producers about coping with climate variability. CropClimate.com will built on Open AgroClimate.com developed by the Southeast Climate Consortium.