Canary in the climate
A study released on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the ecology of Walden Pond (of Henry David Thoreau fame) is on the decline as a result of climate change.
Walden Pond, located near Concord, Mass., was observed by Thoreau in 1854 and captured in great detail in his writings. The study finds that many of the species of flowers Thoreau saw are no longer present in the area. Since 1854, the average temperature at Walden Pond has increased 4.3 degrees. The hardest hit species includes buttercups, dogwoods, lilies, orchids, roses and violets, since they are most sensitive to heat. Apparently, the study looks at other possible contributing factors and concludes that climate is the sole cause of the ecological changes. Most of the surrounding area is protected from development.
Another study released in the same journal also found that wildlife in Yellowstone National Park is in severe decline. This study found that, as a result of increasing droughts and lower snow pack levels, four species of amphibians have seen substantial population losses.
It is almost too obvious to bare repeating, but it is not the loss of some flowers or frogs, in of themselves, that is so concerning (although it is sad). It is the implications that this has on the greater ecosystem that we humans are a part of, that is frightening. There was a reason coal miners used to take canaries into the coalmine with them. When the little creatures start dying, it’s time to be alarmed.
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Comments
One Comment on Canary in the climate
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Adam Pieniazek on
Sun, 2nd Nov 2008 3:52 pm
It really is quite frightening to think of how vastly our environment and the animals who truly depend on it are being changed. We as humans have a great ability to adapt to environmental change, but must realize that mother nature mostly got things right and we should work to limit our impact on the environment and find a way to live in harmony with it.
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