Paper short abstract:

Using data from Kazakh archives, drought series and parameters in the grain-growing regions of Northern Kazakhstan in the 20th century are analyzed with two questions: 1) How drought episodes are related to agro-economic change? 2) Did drought become more intense in the course of the century?

Paper long abstract:

In this communication, I will present the results of an attempt at reconstructing drought series and parameters in the grain-growing regions of Northern Kazakhstan in the 20th century. Drought duration, distribution and intensity will be determined; and drought-related phenomena like dust storms, heat waves and fires will be taken into account. The data used comes from the Kazakh Meteorological Service and regional Kazakh archives.

This reconstruction pursues two objectives: 1) to link up the drought episodes with agro-economic change in the regions—the extension and reduction of cultivated areas and the change in agrotechnologies, themselves dependent upon social and political transformations; 2) to study whether droughts have become more severe and recurrent toward the end of the century in Norther Kazakhstan.