Desert Myth and Climatic Reality∗
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8376558 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Merlin P Lawson (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), CHARLES W STOCKTON (University of Arizona) |
| Year | 1981 |
| Volume | 71 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 527-535 |
| Publication date | 1981-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Annals of the Association of American Geographers (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0004-5608 • E-ISSN: 1467-8306 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-8306.1981.tb01372.x |
| OpenAlex | W2011444345 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 6 |
Students of the American frontier have assumed that the myth of the Great American Desert was derived from the notions of a few men rather than from the probable reality of the experienced environmental conditions. The “illusion’ of the Great American Desert has not been considered from a climatological perspective; no serious attempts have been made using historical methods and techniques to establish the actual climate of the region during the period of formation of the desert image. Explanations concerned with the derivation of the notion of a trans-Missouri desert as perceived by early American explorers neglect the possibility of climatic variability sufficient enough to justify the disparaging accounts of the territory. By establishing the statistical relationship between tree growth and climatic characteristics, spatial reconstructions of moisture conditions in the western United States permit analysis of exploratory experience in perspective with climatic stress. One must conclude that Stephen Long, the explorer responsible for naming the Great American Desert in 1820, witnessed serious drought conditions on the High Plains exceeding that experienced by previous expeditions, thus suggesting that the desert notion had substantial merit
American west · Archaeology · Climate change · Desert (philosophy) · Ethnology · Frontier · Geography · Illusion · Mythology · Perception · Perspective (graphical) · Physical geography · Political science · Archaeology and Natural History · Ecology · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · History · Law · Mathematics · Psychology · Tree-ring climate responses
"The Unknown Variable Hidden Underground" and the Zionist Idea
North American drought
Climate, history, and culture in the United States
Artificial neural networks and dendroclimatic reconstructions
A mythical place
Land change variability and human–environment dynamics in the United States Great Plains
Climatology in American Geography
Furthering Their Own Demise
| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,3 |
| Citation span | 1999 - 2018 (20) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |