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Blog - climate change

Bumblebees and climate change.

Bumblebees and climate change.

by Lewis, 13 August, 2015, 2 comments

Bumblebees are important pollinating agents of food crops (especially of fruit - like blueberries) and also of many wild flowers.   Some sources have estimated that insect pollination is key to the production of a third of the foods and drinks that we consume. Unfortunately, bumblebee species have been in decline for some time; indeed, during the course of the 20th century, the short haired bumblebee became extinct in the United Kingdom.   The reason for the decline in bumblebee numbers (and species) is not clear but habitat loss and the extensive / intensive use of pesticides have been cited. However, recent analysis by research scientists*  in the States, Canada and Europe indicates that global warming is a key factor. Read more...
midges in flight

Midges – a new “use” !

by Lewis, 15 February, 2015, 3 comments

Most people are aware of midges.   Midges are those small, irritating flies that you encounter when camping or walking, particularly near lakes or freshwater systems.   The term ‘midge’ does not define a particular type of fly but it is a generic term and may include the following Net-winged midges Gall midges Biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) Non-biting midges (Chironomidae) Phantom midges and Dung midges Read more...
VOC's and Pine trees.

VOC’s and Pine trees.

by Chris, 21 March, 2014, 3 comments

Boreal forest is found in Canada, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia.   Essentially, it is coniferous forest with tree species such as pines, spruces, larches and aspens.  In the U. K., this unique ecosystem is represented by the Caledonian Forest (a remnant of the vast sylvan wilderness that once existed here).  One of the larger tracts of this native pine forest is the  Black Wood of Rannoch. One feature of the boreal forest or taiga is that it has areas of even-aged stands of trees.  This uniformity arises through cycles of natural disturbance – from forest fires to outbreaks of insect pests such as pine beetle or spruce budworm, which periodically kill off large sections of forest – but these areas, in turn, regenerate. Read more...
Chopping for Chopsticks

Chopping for Chopsticks

by Victoria, 8 October, 2013, 0 comments

Recently a friend of mine exclaimed that China gets through 80 billion disposable chopsticks a year.  This is enough to fill Tiananmen Square three times over.  With a population of 1.4 billion, the demand for these utensils is eating away at China’s forests, at a staggering rate.  China's natural forest resources are extremely limited (139th in the world); despite this, 3.8 million trees a year are being cut down - that is, about 100 acres every 24 hours. This deforestation is having knock-on environmental effects, causing landslides, flooding and leading to climate change.  One of the contributors to forest over-exploitation is the demand for disposable chopsticks.  The situation is not looking any more promising as the uptake for Asian cuisine is becoming more common across the globe. Read more...
The effects of drought – go on and on.

The effects of drought – go on and on.

by Chris, 28 August, 2013, 1 comments

With the recent spell of fine weather, some people may have wandered down memory lane and recalled “the summer of 76”.  Then, the temperature reached 80oF from June 22nd through to the 16th July, and for two weeks the temperatures in some areas exceeded 90oF. However, temperature was not the only environmental factor to stress plants – lack of rainfall or drought was also a major factor.  The previous autumn had been quite dry, as was the winter of  1975–76.   The drought became most severe during the summer months - with woodland, forest and heath fires breaking out.  Crop production was also severely affected, and there was water rationing (and stand pipes) in some areas. Ecologists* from the University of Stirling (Professor Alistair Jump) and the JNCC have recently investigated the (long term) effects of the 1976 drought on native woodland.   They examined the records of Lady Park Wood in the Wye Valley.  This 45 hectare Nature Reserve was ideal for a detailed study as there existed long term records  / surveys Read more...
2012 – a rather wet year.

2012 – a rather wet year.

by Lewis, 8 January, 2013, 7 comments

It has been a rather strange year.  After another dry winter – March arrived and was one of the warmest and driest on record; consequently, many of us were threatened with restrictions (on hosepipes etc)  as a severe drought threatened - many reservoirs were very low on water. But then came April, which was one of the wettest recorded in the UK.  Some 121.8 mm of rain fell, beating the previous record of 120.3 mm -which was set in 2000; some parts of the U.K. had three times the ‘normal’ amount of rainfall. June was also very wet and set a record. There then followed the wettest summer as a whole since 1912.   The final rainfall figures for the year have been released and the total rainfall for the UK during 2012 was 1,330.7 mm (52.4in), just 6.6mm short of the record set in 2000. The big winners in these wet conditions were slugs – including the giant Spanish super slug, or Spanish stealth slug that was reported to be invading gardens.  These have an  ‘enhanced’ breeding cycle producing many more eggs Read more...
Invasion of the land : mosses, bryophytes and climate change.

Invasion of the land : mosses, bryophytes and climate change.

by Chris, 12 March, 2012, 3 comments

Throughout the twentieth century, stations like that at Manua Loa have monitored the level of carbon dioxide in the air.  It is clear that atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have risen from about from about 300 ppm in the 1960’s to nearly 400 ppm by 2010. However, if we look back some 480 million years (to the Ordivician Period) the level of carbon dioxide was some sixteen times higher than the present level and the average global temperature was about 25 oC, that is, about 10 oC higher than today’s average.  So how and why has global temperature fallen ? Read more...
Climatic debt

Climatic debt

by Chris, 28 February, 2012, 0 comments

Butterfly Conservation UK and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology have been involved in the monitoring the status of butterflies through various citizen science schemes*.   UK butterflies (and indeed, birds) are probably the best-studied wildlife groups thanks to the dedication of an enormous workforce of highly skilled and committed volunteer recorders. Butterflies and birds have been observed and recorded in detail for many, many years and these detailed records and counts yield an invaluable resource of information for the analysis of population change(s). A recent report indicates that some 70% or more of our butterfly species are in decline and that the geographical distribution of many has contracted. Read more...

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