CUT researchers have published a paper that could help agricultural role-players predict drought conditions as far as seven months ahead of time. 

 

CUT lecturer Dr Desalegn Edossa says the research, published in the International Journal of Atmospheric Sciences in December, focuses on the relationship between El Nino events and corresponding drought conditions in parts of central South Africa. He explains that El Nino is the fluctuation of sea temperatures in the pacific ocean, which then impacts meteorological processes as far abroad as Africa and Australia. Based on their findings, researchers should be able to create drought forecast models as far as seven months into the future. 

The article has been published in an open access journal, access here. Sabrina Dean, Agri Editor, OFM 

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The three Department of Civil Engineering researches involved in the project are (from left to right): Dr Desalegn Edossa, Senior Lecturer; Dr Worku Welderufael, Researcher; and Prof. Yali Woyessa, Head of the Department.