Monday, 3 July 2023

This June Was Busting Out All Over

The UK's Meteorological Office has confirmed that June 2023 had the highest overall average and average maximal temperatures on record (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jul/03/fears-of-further-fish-deaths-after-hottest-june-in-uk-history). This really hot month had a devastating effect on agriculture and wildlife. There have been sea-based heatwaves. There arealso many reports of multitudes of asphyxiated freshwater fish (as all water temperatures rise, oxygen content declines). Flowers (especially orchids) have wilted early, resulting in insect pollinators failing to get needed supplies of pollen and nectar. Insectivorous birds then go short. These cummulative effects are likely to result in major changes in biodiversity. These current effects are without a distant contribution from El Nino.

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