Do I need to change my landscape to adapt to the change in our weather?

ASK THE HORT AGENT

Question Do I need to change my landscape to adapt to the change in our weather?

Answer Easy there Chicken Little. The jury is still out on whether the sky is falling or not. Our weather has been unusual this summer, but there may be an explanation.

Nature tends to operate in cycles. Some examples include day/night, winter/summer and short day/long day. These cycles are easily explained by the rotation of the earth. In many parts of the world, these cycles (or seasons) can be described as rainy/dry, humid/dry, hot/cold, etc… These seasons are fairly predictable using a calendar. Mother Nature also has long (taking thousands of years) and medium (taking 2 to 100 years) range cycles.

Water in the Pacific Ocean, near the equator, warms up and cools down over a period of several years. These warming and cooling cycles are not as predictable as the spinning of the earth. Scientists can not predict which years the water will be hot or cold. However, they can tell you what will happen when water temperature warms or cools.

Warm west coast water is called El Niño and cool water is called La Niña. The heat or lack of heat coming off the water causes changes in weather patterns for over half the world. These cycles affect the weather in the United States differently depending on location. For example, during a La Niña year, weather in the southeastern U.S. is drier and warmer than normal in the summer. It is also warmer than normal during the winter. Northwestern states have the exact opposite conditions during a La Niña event. Scientists say we have been experiencing a transition into a La Niña event since the end of 2006. La Niña and El Niño events typically last about 18 months before moderating.

While I would not suggest a transition to a desert style landscape yet, I do think water conservation still needs to be emphasized after the current La Niña passes. Rising populations and increasing consumptions are placing more and more demand on natural resources. Landscapes will have to become more reliant on Mother Nature and less reliant on people in the future. For a list of websites relating to water conservation visit http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/toolsLinks/

Two of the biggest problems with recognizing natural changes are our lack of memory and historical perspective. Scientists are supposed to help us analyze historical data. However, our scientific data only covers the past 100 to 150 years. Considering the life of medium and long term cycles, we often don’t have enough information to make accurate guesses. In reference to our lack of memory, if we can’t remember our spouse’s birthday, how can we remember annual rainfall amounts from 5 years ago?

For more info on La Niña or El Niño, visit http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/1997.html If you don’t have access to the internet, then call me at 910-893-7533 or email me at gpierce@harnett.org

Robert E. Lee said, “The march of providence is so slow and our desires so impatient; the work of progress is so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope.”

Gary L. Pierce

Horticulture Extension Agent

Harnett County