Name: ______________________________ Class: ________________ Date: __________________

Graphing the Dust Bowl

Oklahoma County Map
The data used in this activity all comes from Cimarron County in Oklahoma. Highlight or shade in that
county in the map below.

Cimarron County Climate Data (1980-2010)

Graph the average temperature and precipitation data on the blank climatogram to the right.

Total Average
Month Precipitation Temperature
(inches) (F)
January 0.83 38.1
February 0.82 32.5
March 1.00 47.5
April 1.16 52.2
May 1.23 63.5
June 0.78 77.4
July 1.26 81.5
August 1.52 77.7
September 1.74 75.4
October 1.41 59.4
November 1.11 48.0
December 1.04 45.3
Total
Data from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/search

1. Describe the overall climate and precipitation in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, including seasons.

2. What kind of ecosystem would you expect to find here -- deciduous forest, temperate grassland, or
temperate desert? Explain why.
Name: ______________________________ Class: ________________ Date: __________________

Native Plant Root Systems

This is a diagram of the depth of the root systems of some of the native plants to this type of ecosystem.

Record the maximum root depth of each species on the table below. Calculate the average root depth of
all the plants.

Species Depth Species Depth (feet)

(feet)
Prairie Dropseed Rosin Weed
Side Oats Grama Purple Prairie Clover
False Boneset June Grass
Switch Grass Cylindric Blazing Star
White Wild Indigo Buffalo Grass
Little Blue Stem Average of all Species
Name: ______________________________ Class: ________________ Date: __________________
Name: ______________________________ Class: ________________ Date: __________________

Cimarron County Climate Data, 1928

Graph the average temperature and precipitation data on the blank climatogram to the right.

Total Average
Month Precipitation Temperature
(inches) (F)
January 0.0 38.7 3. Based on differences in climate only, do you think a
February 0.65 36.5 wheat farmer would have greater, less, or about the
March 1.11 46.9 same yield this year compared to an average year?
April 0.83 50.9 (see 1980-2010 data) Why?
May 6.01 63.0
June 3.09 68.0
July 2.87 77.0
August 3.13 74.3 Cimarron County Climate
September 0.49 67.5 Data, 1935
October 4.57 57.2
November
Month 1.72
Total 41.9
Average
December 0.66
Precipitation 36.7
Temperature
Total (inches) (F)
January 0.90 42.1
February 0.05 41.2
March 0.51 50.6
April 0.02 55.2
May 2.75 58.1
June 0.55 73.8
July 0.16 81.6
August 1.02 79.7
September 1.89 68.4
October 0.42 58.7
November 0.75 42.8
December 0.19 36.6
Total

4. How much different was the precipitation in 1933 compared to 1928?

Use the formula % change = (1935 Precipitation 1928 Precipitation) / 1928 Precipitation.
Name: ______________________________ Class: ________________ Date: __________________

Tracking the Drought

Graph the total precipitation from 1920 through 1950. Draw a dashed line at the point where you would
mark the beginning of the Dust Bowl drought, and another at the end.

Year Precipitation (inches) Year Precipitation (inches) Year Precipitation (inches)

1920 17.45 1930 17.54 1940 11.89
1921 26.63 1931 12.24 1941 36.56
1922 13.05 1932 16.74 1942 25.77
1923 25.28 1933 10.42 1943 10.64
1924 9.72 1934 10.86 1944 18.50
1925 21.36 1935 9.21 1945 15.92
1926 15.90 1936 9.59 1946 18.00
1927 17.57 1937 11.39 1947 15.78
1928 25.10 1938 16.40 1948 (Data missing)
1929 14.84 1939 14.82 1949 19.82
1950 25.82

Conclusion
5. In the years leading up to the Dust Bowl, farmers were continually increasing their planting. Explain
why, given the climate data you analyzed, this would have seemed like a reasonable decision at the
time.

6. One of the most heavily planted crops at the time was red winter wheat. This crop has a maximum
root depth of 5 feet. It is planted in mid-August and harvested around mid-May. How might the
replacement of native species with this domesticated crop have contributed to the Dust Bowl?

7. If you were considering buying land and developing a farm in Cimarron County today, what
precautions would you want to take to protect yourself against the possibility of drought?