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The Dust Bowl. Mia Cunicelli and Ali Gagnon. Dust Bowl Location. The Great Plains Southern Plains American Midwest Colorado New Mexico Texas Oklohoma Kansas. Theories for Dust Bowl. Cropping submarginal land Cropping land meant for grazing Severe drought Wind erosion
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The Dust Bowl Mia Cunicelli and Ali Gagnon
Dust Bowl Location • The Great Plains • Southern Plains • American Midwest • Colorado • New Mexico • Texas • Oklohoma • Kansas
Theories for Dust Bowl • Cropping submarginal land • Cropping land meant for grazing • Severe drought • Wind erosion • Poor weather situations
The New Deal Plan • President Franklin Roosevelt • Many reforms addressing effects of Great Depression • Stream of bills passed • To relieve poverty • To reduce unemployment • To speed economic recovery
The New Deal Plan • Series of economic measures • Created in hopes of reinvigorating the economy • 15 major laws enacted by FDR • Four day bank holiday • Adjustments in farming
Federal Initiatives • National Resources Board • Land Utilization Program • Resettlement Administration • Soil Conservation Service • Farm Security Administration • National Recovery Administration • National Industrial Recovery Act
New Study of Dust Bowl • Evaluation of all 280 counties in Dust Bowl region • Causes of wind erosion • Analyzing data from agricultural censures • Soil surveys • Weather stations using geographic information systems (GIS) choropleth and overlay mapping • All this allows for detailed analysis
Wind Erosion • Must understand in order to understand why dust storms happen • Erosion when strong winds blow across dry soil • Saltation occurs and sets everything else in motion • Cycle of medium size soil particles breaking off smaller and larger creating more dust, storm
Dust Storms • Most common in Spring • Winds at their strongest • Southern landscape thawed and free of snow • Infrequent in Fall • Rare in Summer and Winter • Winter: Ground is frozen • Winds are mild • Summer: Plant growth protects soil
Soil Data • Sandy soil—more likely to erode • Many Great Plains counties have sandy soil • More plowed land by farmers, more sandy soil exposed • More sandy soil in March (peak dust season)
Drought • Explains location of dust storms • More probable than misuse of land for causing dust storms • Drought and dust storms moved in tandem from 1925-1935
Water • Necessary for life • Drought in Midwest • Lack of water led to dry, dusty soil • Crops can not grow
Dorothea Lange • Famous depression era photographer • Most famous photo of her career • Migrant Mother
“Lost” Civilizations • Environmental causes • Water necessary for life • Drought, no water, evacuation or no life • Extreme temperatures • Drastic temperature changes
Machu Picchu • Located in Peru • Ancient Inca citadel • Mysteriously vacated • Unknown purpose • Possible environmental effect cause evacutation
Mesa Verde • Located in American Southwest • Entire village carved into the side of a cliff • Pueblo people, often called “Anasazi” • No writing system • Past determined by oral stories passed down • Archaeological remains left behind • Environmental effect could have led to disappearing • Drought • Extreme temperatures
Sources • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/dustbowl-new-deal/ • “Causes of the Dust Bowl” article • http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GAqeNzpffIk/UbIZUPZ6xmI/AAAAAAAAAG8/s4yeWkqfpvc/s1600/new%2Bdeal.jpg • http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/dbimages/dust2.gif • http://images.intellicast.com/App_Images/Article/134_2.png • http://grist.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/dust-bowl-flickr-erjkprunczyk • http://rooseveltinstitute.org/policy-and-ideasroosevelt-historyfdr/new-deal • http://barkersandrubes.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/fdr.jpg