What will it take to get the Maritimes out of drought conditions?

An expert discusses what is required to cause a drought.

July was an exceptionally dry month in the Maritimes.

According to agroclimate specialist Trevor Hadwen, parts of both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have entered D2, or severe drought, with many other parts of the region ranging from abnormally dry to moderate drought. There are two more levels above severe drought including D3 (extreme drought) and D4 (exceptional drought).

“Last fall was drier than normal leaving a moisture deficit as we began the season, the last two months have been fairly dry for the region” said Hadwen, who works with Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada, the department of the federal government that monitors drought conditions in the country.

“Atlantic Canada does not have as much water supply or soil moisture storage as other regions in the country, so a short-term dryness does effect that region more than others.”

Those impacts include wells going dry, low water levels in slews and wetlands, and lack of surface water for agriculture and domestic use.

The Atlantic region is usually a very wet environment, with most of the Maritimes averaging well over 1,000 mm of rain in a year. In parts of the Prairies 300 mm of rain is typical some years, a number that would have an outsized impact for the Maritimes compared to the Prairies.

What will it take to get the Maritimes out of drought conditions? While any rain will be welcome, Hadwen explains it will likely take multiple months of above-average precipitation to fully recover the water table in the region.

Hadwen says Maritimers may need to be prepared for more droughts in the years and decades to come.

“We are seeing more frequent and more severe droughts right across the country. We’ve gone through a dry cycle within our climate regime, seeing droughts in areas we don’t typically expect them,” he said.

Adapting for the possibility of more drought is a complicated issue when it comes to agriculture. The variability in the Atlantic Canadian climate means the region is just as likely to have a very wet growing season as one defined by drought. That means switching to crops that do better in drier conditions is not an easy solution.

Hadwen suggests finding ways to retain moisture from the wetter winter and spring months, as well as limiting water loss from soil could be helpful. Storing water could involve the development of more farm ponds for agriculture and more water reservoirs for municipal use. Ways to limit moisture loss from soil include:

• limiting tillage
• covering crops
• mulching
• planting wind breaks/shelter belts to reduce evaporation in the summer