Research implications of the 1988 Canadian prairie provinces drought

The 1988 drought conditions, which prevailed over the southern portion of the Canadian prairie provinces, resulted in severe impacts on agriculture, water resources, forestry, and waterfowl production. In this paper, the climatological aspects of the drought are reviewed and the impacts of the drought are described. In addition, a number of the environmental factors that may have aggravated the drought's impacts are discussed. Processes contributing to the 1988 drought are considered in terms of their scales, relative importance and possible effects.It was evident from the information needs of government agencies and private businesses which had to cope with the effects of the 1988 drought, that studies are needed to effectively monitor drought and adjust to its impacts. In this paper, these needs are discussed; several specific hypotheses concerning drought-related processes are advanced and a framework for addressing the scientific aspects of droughts on the Canadian prairies is proposed. It is anticipated that many of these identified research needs and opportunities are applicable to other drought-prone areas of the world.