ABSTRACT
Weather and other environmental satellites, combined with the traditional meteorological data collection systems, provide worldwide information on the state of the atmospheric environment within minutes of the ‘events’ taking place. In many cases – particularly in the area of agricultural production weather relationships for ‘large’ regions – such empirical models are the only models which can, for various reasons, be used operationally. The economic and political importance of larger-scale weather and climate fluctuations must also be considered, as they contribute to variability in global agriculture production. Weighted soil water deficit indices are a convenient way of expressing a vast amount of weather and climate data which can be meaningful to studies relating weather and climate to agricultural production. Real-time wool production forecasts based on commodity-weighted weather/wool production models have been made by the New Zealand Meteorological Service on a routine basis since 1977/78, and they continue to be modified and improved.
