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...
