A New Normal

A NEW NORMAL

IOWA’S CLIMATOLOGIST DISCUSSESTHE CLOSELY INTERTWINED SCIENCESOF CLIMATE AND AGRICULTURE

BY LAUREN HOUSKA

Stop at any rural Midwest coop, coffee shop, gas station or community bank and weather will likely be a lively topic of conversation.

For Justin Glisan, Ph.D., state climatologist within the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, weather is much more than chit chat — it’s his passion.

As state climatologist, he compiles and processes Iowa climate data for research needs. This includes preparing the weekly weather summary for the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report and the monthly Iowa weather summary.

The third person to ever hold the position, Glisan began his role as Iowa’s climatologist in May 2018. He was preceded by Harry Hillaker, who retired after three decades in the position. The first was Paul Waite, who was also on the job for nearly 30 years.

“It is a longevity job, and no one day is the same as the previous day,” Glisan says. “I hope to be here for 30 years, much like my predecessors.”

That 30-year mark is important when studying climate data. “Climatological normal” is the 30-year average of weather variables in a given location. Atmospheric scientists use it as a baseline to evaluate climate events and provide context for year-toyear variability.

Glisan sheds light on what “normal” really means when it comes to weather in Iowa, how weather patterns are changing, and how farmers are adapting.

Iowa’s climatologist, Dr. Justin Glisan, stands in front of the Wallace Building in Downtown Des Moines, which houses the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Photo: Joseph L. Murphy/Iowa Soybean Association

Why choose to study Iowa weather?

“Given the variability of weather we have seen in the last 100 years and the exciting weather patterns across Iowa, how could you not want to study it? Iowa is situated in the middle of a country that has varying topography and is flanked by two oceans. This setup brings every type of weather — sometimes all within 48 hours. Iowa is one of the only states in which its east and west borders are drawn out by rivers, making flooding a concern.

Iowa also has farmers who are scientists — and farmers know weather. I really appreciate when farmers call me — I learn something each time. Matching up what they have seen over the decades with our observations and facts gives us an idea of where Iowa climate has been and where it’s moving.”

How is Iowa’s climate changing?

“In the last 30 years we’ve seen an increase in surface and atmospheric temperatures across the Midwest and the country. A warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor. So, we now have increased rainfall and snowfall across the U.S. and an increase in rainfall events that drop several inches of rainfall in just a few hours. We’re also seeing a seasonal shift in rainfall, with more rainfall events right around the time farmers want to start fieldwork in the spring and fall — 2018 and 2019 are case in point.

Being an agriculturally based state, my main interest is how farmers will be able to adapt and flourish. Given the increase of atmospheric temperatures and increases in rainfall, we have seen an expansion of the Corn Belt, moving north into Minnesota. If you look back into the 1800s, we were growing wheat in Iowa. But Iowa is built for row crops and farmers are intuitive and innovative. It will be very interesting to see how all of these things balance each other out.”

How are farmers adapting?

“Farmers and ag-based groups want to be part of the solution in adapting to these changes. Agricultural practices have a huge impact on effectively adapting to this new normal. Cover crops, especially during the winter, help lock in moisture and reduce runoff — and farmers recognize the impact. Looking at the U.S. Census of Agriculture data from 2012 to 2017, we’ve seen an expansion of cover crop usage around 250%. Farmers are also using better edge-of-field practices to prevent runoff. Iowa soil is gold, so keeping it in Iowa is important.

We are also putting together a package of ag-focused climatological tools farmers can use to make better predictive decisions moving into the next season — looking at planting dates, growing degree days, temperature ranges, precipitation amounts and meshing that with early freeze probabilities.”

What do you hope to bring to the role?

“Even more collaboration. Within our regional counterparts, like the USDA Climate Hub in Ames, the Midwestern Regional Climate Center in Illinois and the other Midwest state climatologists, there are experts on many different things. Being in a collaborative endeavor with them helps me do my job better and we’re able to better serve our stakeholders.

Another thing that is important to me is — the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Network — a civilian network of standard rain gauges that augments the National Weather Service (NWS) co-op stations in Iowa. Since I’ve started in this position, we’ve gotten about 140 new rain gauges across the state.”

Justin Glisan has added 140 new rain gauges across the state since he started.

Photo: Joseph L. Murphy/Iowa Soybean Association

What is your favorite part of the job?

“Being surrounded by Iowa’s history. It gives me goosebumps. These records detail the history of climate across our state and the current weather we are experiencing. Both have a profound impact on modern agriculture.”

Contact Lauren Houska at lhouska@iasoybeans.com.