National Ecological Framework (21 of 23)
Effective Growing Degree Days: Procedure
1. Input Data Requirements.
For each Ecodistrict, the following data are required as input into the calculations:
monthly values of average daily minimum air temperature (TMIN).
monthly values of average daily mean air temperature (TMEAN).
Latitude (LAT, decimal degrees) of the Ecodistrict centroid and mean elevation (ELEV_MEAN, metres).
These variables are all available from the Ecodistrict climate normals database.
2. Using procedures as in the Penman PET calculations for Ecodistricts, generate the following:
3. Compute daily values of GDD > 5 C and accumulate these
between start and stop dates (see below on how to determine
these).
3.1 Starting date.
Start accumulating Daily GDD 10 days after TMEAN 5 C in spring
or on April 1 (whichever is later).
3.2 Stopping date.
Stop accumulating Daily GDD the day before the average date of the first fall frost (FF) or on October 31, whichever, is earlier.
Since FF is not in the Ecodistrict database, it needs to be estimated by using the procedure developed by Sly et al. (1971). The following variables need to be calculated:
X1 = [TMIN on day DF42 - TMIN on day (DF42-30)] × 1.8
X2 = [TMIN for July - TMIN for January] × 1.8
X3 = ELEV_MEAN × 3.2808 (to convert elevation to feet)
X4 = [(24 - N)2 × (TMAX - TMIN)] × 1.8
LAG = -32.7 + 0.769(X1) + 0.341(X2) - 0.00484(X3) + 0.00928(X4)
Average date of fall frost FF = DF42 - LAG
(Note: if the LAG is a positive value, then the frost
date is before day DF42).
4. Adjust GDDSUM for the day length factor (DLF) based on the Ecodistrict latitude as follows:
EGDD = GDDSUM × DLF
where DF is based on Fig. A.1 in the LSRS report by Pettapiece (1995), and can be estimated as follows:
II. if 49.0 < LAT < 61.0 then