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Precipitation (meteorology)

Lentz, R.D. (1995) Precipitation (meteorology). In: McGraw Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology - 1996. pp. 271-274. McGraw-Hill Inc., New York.

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Abstract

Precipitation sustains nearly all terrestrial plants
and animals: both rain-fed and irrigated agriculture
depend on an appropriate amount and distribution
of annual rain and snowfall. Precipitation also initiates
important hydrological processes. such as infiltration.
recharge, runoff, and erosion. Although
these processes support natural plant communities
and make agriculture possible, they may facilitate
development of serious environmental problems,
such as the contamination of surface waters with
excess sediment, nutrients, and natural and manufactured
chemicals and the adulteration of ground
water via soil transport of surface-applied compounds.
Understanding how precipitation may vary
in the landscape permits identification of areas of
high impact, better focusing of management efforts,
maximization of agricultural productivity, and minimization
of potentially adverse environmental
hazards.

Item Type: Book Section
NWISRL Publication Number: 0893
Subjects: Mass Import - unclassified
Depositing User: Users 6 not found.
Date Deposited: 20 Nov 2010 21:55
Last Modified: 22 Nov 2016 23:34
Item ID: 794
URI: https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/794