Author Topic: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.  (Read 15757 times)

Chrispy

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #20 on: March 24, 2013, 20:38:33 »
I've never seen the thames freeze but it has on 24 occasions, but hey who's counting.   :drunken_smilie:      :wave:

When the ice was thick enough, frost fairs took place. Years when the ice was thick enough for this to occur were: 1408, 1435, 1506, 1514, 1537, 1565, 1595, 1608, 1621, 1635, 1649, 1655, 1663, 1666, 1677, 1684, 1695, 1709, 1716, 1740, (1768), 1776, (1785), 1788, 1795, and 1814, which was the last frost fair.

Must have been the cow farts.
That's interesting, frost fairs seemed to have come to an end at the beginning of the industrial revolution.



Ok, I'll bite again. The industrial revolution in Britain, you mean? The country that is 81st largest in the world? Try harder, Chris.

EDIT: I'd wager that a single large bush fire in either Australia or America would have equalled or exceeded the CO2 output of the first few years of the industrial revolution, as would a volcanic eruption. Can't tax us for that though can they?
Did I say it was anything to do with global CO2 levels? Of course not, as I can't see that being the cause.
Local pollution, migration into cities are a couple if possible expansions, could just be a coincidence.

I just noticed something new, and I am interested and want to know more.
That's is why I am interested in climate change, and try to learn and understand while you just seem to think it is some sort of conspiracy.
If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe!

OllieC

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #21 on: March 24, 2013, 21:09:04 »
Some of you are more patient than me - I read a bit of waffle, told it how old I was, what my postcode is, whether I was a boy or a girl gardener and then thought, "Don't be so nosey" so quit. We'll cope anyway, won't we? I thought gardening was just about choosing a plant that might work and tipping the odds in it's favour.

galina

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #22 on: March 25, 2013, 03:36:39 »
I am feeling rather confused about climate change, is it getting warmer or colder.  Intesting questions made me think about some of the answers,

Both - warmer air carries more water and drives more wind and weather systems.  Result more unpredictable weather with more extremes.  Something is disturbing our 'normal' Jet Stream pattern - less predictable - more extremes see above.  Severe gales during summer.

Ice cap melting means less salt in the sea.  For some reason I don't quite understand this salt content is a driver of the Gulf Stream, which keeps the sea around us warmer than normal.  If this weakens or stops, then we are in for severe Canadian type winters.

It is complicated.  We need more good weather programmes on the box.  There were a few on Channel 4.  When they do another one, it is worth looking out for.  Their programmes have explained the changes for me without alarm or propaganda.

Survey done too.

chriscross1966

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #23 on: March 25, 2013, 04:17:11 »
I got part way through completing it, and then felt that all the questions were assuming it was getting warmer- Med plants, longer seasons etc. Don't think thats the case so pulled out.
Have I missed something?

That's clearly what they want, so that they can report, "99% of gardeners are terrified of the effects of global warming, shock, horror!"

Back in the 1960s we were promised a new Ice Age by the climatologists.  Glaciers down to Hadrian's Wall by 2000, London by 2010.  I'll believe in global warming after I've had my promised Ice Age.  :sunny:

What's frightening about ice ages is that we were so wrong about how fast they start.... each time they manage to ramp up the resolution on the ice core samples they realise it happens quicker than they can spot....  the last time I heard the resolution was under five years and that is the speed to go from interglacial warm to  ice down to London... now the smart money seems to be on a single event triggering a tipping point and it happens in a single season where winter just keeps on coming... fluctuations in the gulf stream caused by fresh water dumping into the top of the "pump".... the bit where salty water gets very cold and sinks near Greenland ... a couple that they've unravelled from the geology etc was a serious rupture of an ice sheet near Greenland melting one summer, and at least one (The Younger Dryas) has been linked to the catastrophic draining event of Lake Agassiz....

ACulham

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #24 on: March 29, 2013, 09:05:46 »
Thanks for all the comments on this thread.  I'd like to pull out a few key points:
1) Climate models predict greater extremes in future so, over short periods, it is expected to get colder.  At present we are in the cool part of the 11 year solar cycle.
2) We've done our best to give everyone an opportunity to express their opinions.  If you don't think climate will change there are many options to say this and we do want to hear ALL views.
3) Sea level - is measurably rising on a global scale but locally can be falling relative to land - see http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/index.shtml
4) CO2 levels are rising and are plotted against time at http://co2now.org/
5) The hope from this survey is to get a real idea of what gardeners are doing or feel they need to to do in response to claims that the climate is changing.  That answer might be 'nothing' or 'i'll wait and see'.  My allotment is currently under water so raised beds are part of my plan to deal with more frequent climate extremes.

Thanks to the many of you who have already completed the survey but do ask your friends too - we need all the data we can get!

ACulham

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #25 on: March 29, 2013, 22:09:51 »
Some of you are more patient than me - I read a bit of waffle, told it how old I was, what my postcode is, whether I was a boy or a girl gardener and then thought, "Don't be so nosey" so quit. We'll cope anyway, won't we? I thought gardening was just about choosing a plant that might work and tipping the odds in it's favour.
I'm sorry you found this too nosey.  The questions are optional so you can choose not to answer those however gender and age data help tell us whether there is a pattern to belief or not in climate change and whether experience helps adapt to new weather.  The postcode allows us to map responses against local climate rather than UK wide - I would not expect a gardener in Norwich to be experiencing the same patterns of climate as those in Truro or Dundee.  The questionnaire does take a while to complete but gardeners are generally patient people.  Thanks at least for trying the survey.

Digeroo

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #26 on: March 30, 2013, 10:12:54 »
When I was at school the next ice age was looming, then it is global warming. 

All we need is a huge volcanic eruption somewhere in the world and things might change overnight.   Several are overdue.  After the icelandic one we have had a set of cold winters.   
http://syzygyastro.hubpages.com/hub/The-Little-Ice-Age

Then it was global warming.   Now it is climate change.   

I have lived through bobby socks winters, the winter of 62/62, summer of 76, floods if 07, the non summer of 86 etc etc.  I am a sceptic.  But I do think we need to be more careful what we do to the planet and building more nuclear power stations is for me a disaster waiting to happen.  And using climate change as an excuse for building them is for me very wrong.

As for allotmenting I will continue to face the challenges as they happen. 

OllieC

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #27 on: March 30, 2013, 10:54:31 »
Some of you are more patient than me - I read a bit of waffle, told it how old I was, what my postcode is, whether I was a boy or a girl gardener and then thought, "Don't be so nosey" so quit. We'll cope anyway, won't we? I thought gardening was just about choosing a plant that might work and tipping the odds in it's favour.
I'm sorry you found this too nosey.  The questions are optional so you can choose not to answer those however gender and age data help tell us whether there is a pattern to belief or not in climate change and whether experience helps adapt to new weather.  The postcode allows us to map responses against local climate rather than UK wide - I would not expect a gardener in Norwich to be experiencing the same patterns of climate as those in Truro or Dundee.  The questionnaire does take a while to complete but gardeners are generally patient people.  Thanks at least for trying the survey.

Interesting. I moved from Guildford to North of Inverness last year so you would be getting an opinion formed in Guildford showing up in a Highlands postcode - so probably not helpful anyway.

picman

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #28 on: March 30, 2013, 12:41:06 »
Can I have a pene'th , The Romans grew grapes in the North of England back in the year 500 ...   

green lily

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #29 on: March 30, 2013, 21:12:49 »
I've done the survey. A bit concerned how it concentrated on the leisure industry rather than the food stability issues.....

ACulham

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #30 on: April 01, 2013, 21:06:19 »
Some of you are more patient than me - I read a bit of waffle, told it how old I was, what my postcode is, whether I was a boy or a girl gardener and then thought, "Don't be so nosey" so quit. We'll cope anyway, won't we? I thought gardening was just about choosing a plant that might work and tipping the odds in it's favour.
I'm sorry you found this too nosey.  The questions are optional so you can choose not to answer those however gender and age data help tell us whether there is a pattern to belief or not in climate change and whether experience helps adapt to new weather.  The postcode allows us to map responses against local climate rather than UK wide - I would not expect a gardener in Norwich to be experiencing the same patterns of climate as those in Truro or Dundee.  The questionnaire does take a while to complete but gardeners are generally patient people.  Thanks at least for trying the survey.

Interesting. I moved from Guildford to North of Inverness last year so you would be getting an opinion formed in Guildford showing up in a Highlands postcode - so probably not helpful anyway.
That's why we have the free text comments boxes  :happy7:  Inverness is predicted more average change than Guildford.

ACulham

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #31 on: April 01, 2013, 21:15:57 »
I got part way through completing it, and then felt that all the questions were assuming it was getting warmer- Med plants, longer seasons etc. Don't think thats the case so pulled out.
Have I missed something?
I guess you didn't get to "26 a. Climate change is only hypothetical, changing garden practices are of little use" or "45.  Do you think climate change is happening?". 

ACulham

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Re: Your views on Climate Change impacts in gardening sought.
« Reply #32 on: April 01, 2013, 21:22:32 »
I am feeling rather confused about climate change, is it getting warmer or colder.  Intesting questions made me think about some of the answers,
Thanks, and very understandable questions about whether it is getting warmer or colder.  Models for the future suggest more extreme events but on average summers of the 2003 kind are expected to be commonplace by 2050.  The problem is that we experience weather (which is hard to predict over more than a few days) but the changes are in climate (which is average values over a longer period and can be modelled quite well) and may take years to be really noticeable.  Our cold and wet year is part of the expected extreme events and link to solar and gulf stream patterns.

 

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