Posted on 05/08/2005 8:21:59 AM PDT by velyrorenry
Your memory is not at fault:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0210_030210_englishgarden.html
English Gardens Endangered By Warming?
John Pickrell
for National Geographic News
February 10, 2003
As global warming intensifies, the English country garden as we know it today may soon be a thing of the past, concludes a report issued under the auspices of the United Kingdom Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP).
The drier summers and milder winters expected to beset the typically cool, rain-drenched British Isles as a result of climate change are likely to negatively impact the lush green lawns, rambling roses, abundant flowering shrubs, and climbing vines that are the defining features of English garden landscapes.
The report was compiled by a coalition of organizations including Britain's Royal Horticultural Society, the Forestry Commission, The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and the UKCIP, a government body established to assess the impact of global warming on Britain.
Although numerous studies have examined the potentially detrimental affects of global warming on agriculture and ecosystems, Gardening in the Global Greenhouse is one of the first to examine the effects of climate change on gardens.
"Some climate change is now inevitable and although we can still influence the extent of this for the latter part of the century, the die is already cast for the next 50 years," said Chris West, a UKCIP scientist. "We want people to find out more about how these changes will affect their lives and to consider this in their plans for the future."
National Obsession
Gardening is the leading hobby in the U.K., and an estimated 27 million people41 percent of the populationparticipate in some way. Garden tourism, in a country with many national heritage gardens that are 500 years old or more, is also a big business, estimated to be worth around $480 million annually.
Though estimates of the rate and extent of warming vary, some climate models suggest that temperatures in Great Britain could increase by between 2 to 4.5 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit) by the year 2080, at a rate of 0.3 - 0.5 degrees Celsius (0.5 to 0.9 Fahrenheit) each decade.
The increased temperatures are likely to lead to higher temperatures year-round, and longer, hotter, and drier summers according to the report. Spring flowers and bulbs will bloom earlier and winters will be characterized by a marked reduction in frost and snow and an increase in torrential rainfall and flooding. Snowfall, which is already rare in southern England, may decline by 90 percent in lowland and coastal regions.
In fact, average annual temperatures are rising at such an unprecedented rate that U.K. gardens are already effectively migrating south by 4 to 7 kilometers (2.5 to 4.5 miles) a year, notes the study.
Summer droughts could threaten the herbaceous borders of traditional English cottage gardens. Species including lupin, aster, and delphinium, which require highly moisture-retentive soil, will require more intensive care. Shallow-root trees and hedges such as beech may not be able to adapt to frequent summer dry spells.
Species propagated from bulbs, such as hyacinths, daffodils, snowdrops, bluebells and irises, often require cold winter temperatures to stimulate root development. British gardeners in the warmest areas may have to remove some bulbs and refrigerate them to ensure normal development, said the study.
Other important economic plants such as cherries and blackberries require a winter chill to stimulate growth of flower budsa situation of concern for the U.K.'s fruit industry as well as home horticulturists.
Consistent Drizzle
The U.K climate is well-known for its moderate temperatures and the "remarkably even" nature of rainfall throughout the year, said Richard Bisgrove, a horticulturist and garden historian at the University of Reading and one of the report's authors.
"The picture of the U.K. as a damp, cloudy, and coolbut not coldplace has been a fair one," he said. However, as summers heat up and winters get wetter, maintaining the flawless lawns Britain is famous for will become increasingly difficult, he said.
Still, the changes might offer British gardeners some interesting new possibilities.
"Gardeners are adept at coping with the weather, and the likely climate change over the next 80 years will present exciting opportunities as well as challenges," said Simon Thornton-Wood, head of science at the Royal Horticultural Society in London. Gardeners may be able to add exotic fruits and sub-tropical plants like citrus and cannas to their repertoire, he said.
Bananas, dates, olives, pomegranates, palms, yucca plants, and other plants not usually associated with the typical English garden may also become increasingly common in the English gardens of the 21st century.
"I already grow my own figs, have grown peaches, and grow grapes and kiwi-fruits in a cold glasshouse, and I look forwarding to growing these outdoors," said Bisgrove.
At last the Northwest Passage will open up.
NOT correct! The VERY first signs could have been detected years ago! You just had to know what to look for: Rise of extremem liberal causes and the enviro-wacko groups.
Did I miss the point?
Quote
"Lemme see if I've got this straight:... Global Warming is going to cause Britons to freeze in the dark?
Did I miss the point?"
Yes actually you did :) I am a meteorologist and it is very possible that global warming could actually lead to an eventual drop in temperatures (across portions of the planet).
It is very likely that the Gulf Stream may eventually collapse. This may not be caused by people. I won't argue that point.
The facts are correct though - global warming could lead to a cooling in some areas.
You should study up on the subject. It is more than just a bunch of left-wingers saying that there are concerns about warming. I doubt humans are the cause.
Anyway...you did miss the point :) Read up on it. It is an interesting topic.
Complex...
Hey, weren't you here before?
Global warming is a fallacy.
Ocean currents change all the time.
Monsoon used to happen a couple degrees west of where they occur now.
I think this may be the Kyoto treaty pushing troll from a few days back called 'knockedoutoption'.
Will have to see what else he says to be sure.
Doomed.
Doomed!
http://gprime.net/video.php/doomed
"Hey, weren't you here before? "
Huh?
Gulf Stream stops -> Britain and Norway turns into Siberia/Greenland -> Arctic Ocean melts!
Something wrong with this picture.
Global Warming is coming!
Warning we may freeze due to Global Warming!
If anything, we're due for another ice age.
*snicker*
How about the shrimp already being steamed?
Hopefully Michael Crichton will get to debate in public all of the key Savant Idiots pushing the Global Warming mantras.
The good news is that the beer will be cold.
I'm still surprised by the global warming types not picking up on the climate precession that naturally happens.
Monsoons used to occur in some places, and do not any longer.
And some places that did not have monsoons efore, do now.
Places in Africa that had been forest are now desert, and mankind had little to do with much of it.
The Fertile Crescent isnt quite as green and lush as it once was.
Climate change happens, and has happened in recorded history.
Gotta love that the global warming types do't get it.
Crichton surprised me with that though.
He is an enviro, but it appears he's not quiite what the standard enviro is.
Fascinating.
The fact is that climate has varied from extreme to extreme long before man arrived and certainly long before we figured out how to harness energy.
It is folly to think that we control the climate. Never have, never will.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.