During St. Louis summers, people usually have no trouble answering “Yes” to the question, “Is it hot enough for you.” Even though we’ve recently had weather that reminds many of Michigan in July, our summers and especially our winters have been getting warmer, and at an accelerated pace since the 1970s. Our area has become about 0.8 degrees centigrade (about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer in the past 100 years, as has the average temperature of the globe.
The changes in temperature are much more striking other places on earth. And researchers at the Missouri Botanical Garden are trying to learn what that means for plant ecosystems in our state and around the world.
The poles show the most warming. The Himalayas are second in rate of warming, with glaciers melting faster than anywhere else. Unlike the poles, the Himalayas support a complex and abundant flora, and this ecology is being affected by increasing temperature and more rain.
“Alpine meadows are being pushed off the mountaintop,” says Jan Salick of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
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This article was originally published in the St. Louis Beacon.