Dry times: hard lessons from the Canadian drought of 2001 and 2002

Droughts are one of the world's most significant natural hazards. They have major impacts on the economy, environment, health and society. In 2001 and 2002, many regions within Canada experienced unprecedented drought conditions, or conditions unseen for at least 100 years in some regions. This article draws upon a national assessment of this drought with particular attention to its implications for the agriculture and water sectors, although some attention is also devoted to other sectors. The study's methodology involves a comprehensive inter-disciplinary, cause–effect integrated framework as a basis to explore the characteristics of drought and the associated biological and physical impacts and socio-economic consequences. Numerous primary and secondary sources of data were used, including public and semi-public sources such as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Environment Canada, Statistics Canada, Crop Insurance Corporations and provincial governments, as well as phone interviews, focus groups, print media surveys and economic modelling. Evidence indicates that the risk of drought is increasing as demands for food and water relentlessly climb and the manifestations of climate change become more apparent. The key to better dealing with drought lies in taking the steps necessary to enhance our adaptive capacity and decrease vulnerability.     

REVIEW ARTICLE USE-WEAR ANALYSIS: THE STATE OF THE ART

This paper is a review of the recent developments in use-wear analysis. The focus is on some key issues: polish formation, quantification of use-wear, residue analysis and the way these related themes have affected methods of use-wear analysis. A brief history of the development of use-wear analysis is presented and a discussion of blind tests, expert systems (explained at length in the ‘Appendix’) and how use-wear analysis can be incorporated into the chaîne opératoire approach to the interpretation of Stone Age sites.