Cold Air Drainage and Length of Growing Season in the Hopi Mesas Area

Abstract

Growing season on the Hopi Reservation has been referred to in the literature since 1916 as between 130 and 145 days long. These figures were taken from canyon areas subject to the effects of cold air drainage. Recent work elsewhere on the reservation indicates a growing season closer to 155 to 170 days in length. On the mesa tops around which cold air subsides into topographically low areas, the growing season may approach 190 days. The implications of these revisions may be significant toward understanding the strategy of Hopi agriculture and its continuing success.