Early ripening of berries in UK shows nature is under stress, say experts | UK weather
According to the poet John Keats, autumn is “season of fogs and soft fruits – – but in this September, anyone who hopes for a kidney bulletin may be disappointed.
Brambles explodes with fruit in many parts of the UK Since mid -summerSome now carry only shrunched strawberries. And it is not the only distinctive feature of autumn that seems to have come early: the trees drop their leaves, the apples ripen and the oak acorn hit the ground.
However, when the temperatures are still high, experts say that this is not just a cases of an early decline. Instead, they say that nature is under stress.
England was new fourth heat wave Summer, temperatures up to 33.4C and five regions of the country in drought.
“Most of the things we see stemmed from a very hot and very dry spring and summer, which was one of the most dry periods in the record, Kath said Kathryn Brown, Director of Wildlife Confidence and Wildlife Confidence. “Therefore, autumn comes as early as it comes, but it is due to the fact that the natural environment reacts to that extreme spring and summer, which is not the average conditions in which our species are adapted in terms of seasonal cycles.”
Brown said that some birch and poplar trees have already returned to brown and lost their leaves, and in their garden, oak acorn already fell from oak trees. “Trees will build seeds [earlier] In response to stress, because they are trying to use an insurance strategy. ”
There are also warnings about trees Sudden falling branches. Although the cause of this phenomenon is not clear, it is usually a long -term dry air period.
According to Met Office British Climate Report StateClimate changes cause changes in many biological events in the UK. Prof Tim Sparks, the joint author of the report, said that plants and insects became active at the beginning of the year.
Sparks, previous fruit ripening is the result of higher temperatures and the lack of water due to shrunched blackberry, he said. “The drop of leaves is a water problem; if we get more rain, it is not autumn in the sense that the growth season is not the end,” he said.
Trees drop their leaves due to drought, Sparks said that a warmer climate will usually be expected to lead to trees that are usually held for longer leaves. With the previous fruit ripening, it said it would result in a longer autumn.
While changes in the timing of natural events can be discombouting for humans, the results can be serious for wildlife. As Brown pointed out, birds such as black birds tend to feed them to chicks while eating and breeding insects in spring and summer.
“But in autumn, they go to seeds, fruits and fruits like blackberries. And if they come and go, there will be a food gap in the autumn.”
Brown said it has serious effects for animals trying to prepare for winter where food is less.
“It is very difficult to predict what the definitive effects on different species will be, but it is very worrying, because the seasonal cycle is now completely out of the explosion and our wild life is not adapted to it, so it is definitely much more chaotic for them.”
Farmers also reconcile with unpredictable air. While the National Farmer Union said that farmers and breeders around the country are facing a variety of paintings in terms of crop yield this year, increasing excessive air affects the ability of farmers to produce food.
“Some parts of the country have seen some rainfall and farmers are not alien to the unpredictable weather conditions, but this year, excesses have not been seen,” he said. “Last year’s harvest was marked with heavy rain, this year, the lack of it. This drought and flood fluctuations become more prominent and more organized.”
Hallos wanted food safety should be a national priority and the government’s farmers and breeders to support their flexibility development, and emphasized that investment is necessary in climate adaptation and flexible product types and water infrastructure.
Hallos’ concerns are supported by the data obtained from Met Office, which reveals that winters are wet and extreme temperatures have increased, becoming more often and more intense. This June The hottest recorded so far In the UK and the records in 1884, the second most hot for England.
Brown said that a fundamental concern is that pre -industrial levels have occurred with global warming over approximately 1.5C, but higher heating levels are expected.
“What really worries me is to see the effects at this relatively low heating level where things are really stressful, and to think about how it will be five years or 10 years, even next year,” he said. “It is quite difficult to guess, but it doesn’t look very hopeful.”
