Research Projects Related to Climate Change and the Climate of Kansas

Abstract

John Harrington, Jr. is a professor and former head of the Department of Geography. He has been involved in several research projects related to climate change and the climate of Kansas. His students have analyzed data on soil temperature throughout the state. The date soils reach threshold temperatures for agricultural activities have changed between the 1990s and 2000s with western locations warming faster in the 2000s for most thresholds. In contrast, several central and eastern stations exhibited faster warming in the 1990s during winter. Another student examined historical variations in climate and agricultural adaptation in Kansas and the Great Plains. Future research projects will build on prior work and analyze the frequency, length, and magnitude of heat waves.