Is August the new September?

2009-09-22 08:34

Johannesburg - Many South Africans have noticed that the weather is rather unusual for this time of year.

Is August the new September? Has the climate changed so much that, for instance, plants have started to bloom earlier this year?

These are the questions asked by the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) at the start of this week, during which climate change will be in the spotlight across the globe.

SAEON recently launched two new projects and are now asking South Africans to help them identify signs of climate change.

"It depends on where you live, but in some places these days it's hotter, colder, wetter and drier than anyone can remember," says the organisation.

Thus if spring has become the new summer, researchers at SAEON's Ndlovu Nodus want to know: What exactly is happening?

"The simple answer is that the climate is changing all over the world and that our planet is getting warmer."

Researchers are trying to determine how the natural environment is reacting to the changing climate.

'Things are happening too quickly'

Overwhelming scientific evidence indicates that soft fruit trees are starting to shoot leaves sooner after winter and also blooming earlier lately.

Research also shows that migrating birds are reaching their destination one to two weeks earlier (than in the past 30 years).

To scientists it appears as if things (in nature) are happening just a bit too quickly.

Scientists are trying to understand the impact of climate change on South Africa's biodiversity by monitoring the timing of biological events in plants and animals.

"As the timing of important events shift, we anticipate problems for the completion of life cycles in certain organisms; the loss of synchrony between interacting species (especially between plants and their pollinators), resource limitations and changes in the competitive advantage between species," says Dr Dave Thompson, Manager: Biodiversity Research at the SAEON Ndlovu Node.

 "It is important to realise that the need to understand and manage climate-related changes is much broader than simply wanting to be environmental good Samaritans," he explains.

"Consider for a moment the impact of failed insect pollination on fruit and crop production - it will have a disastrous effect on food production," he said.

Climate Buddy project

In order to gather data for these biologists' research, SAEON has asked for South Africans to help with three scientific projects.

One of these is an extension of Bird's Eye View, which was launched in 2007, which asks readers to indicate the arrival times of migrating birds.

Then there's the Climate Buddy project, which asks readers to record the dates when plants start to bloom.

Finally, Turning a New Leaf asks people to record when soft fruit trees start shooting leaves for the first time after winter, and then also when the leaves start to fall.

Prospective observers or participants for these projects can download registration forms here.

For more information about the projects, send an e-mail to [e-mail], [e-mail] or [e-mail] or phone Thompson on 013 735 3534 /35.
 

- Beeld