Key takeaways:
- Two Dalhousie University students examined climate data from 1960 to 2020.
- Dalhousie students Samantha Rebitt and Camrie Levy studied 60 years of climate data and saw 14 more days with a temperature exceeding 25 C from 1990-to 2020 than from 1960-to 1900.
According to an analysis by Dalhousie University students, the number of hot days in Nova Scotia increases while ice is forming less.
Samantha Rebitt and Cambrie Levy just completed their first year in the integrated science program at Dalhousie.
The two studied data were gathered from 1960 to 2020 at eight climate stations. They likened the first three decades to the next three decades to learn how the weather has changed.
“We saw that the hot temperatures were becoming more regular,” Rebitt told CBC Radio’s Mainstreet.
She stated there were 14 more days in the second period when the temperature rose past 25 C.
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The most significant change, Rebitt said, was that there were 15 fewer days with ice between 1990 and 2020 compared to the last 30 years.
“That shows a change in general temperatures overall,” she stated. “Are Not only average temperatures varying but also excessive temperatures are varying, which can have implications on society, of course.”
Change in the growing season
The analysis also estimated the agricultural growing season. There were differences across different climate stations from two more days to 14.5 days.
Rabbit said the addition of almost 14 days to the growing season would have both good and harmful effects in Nova Scotia.
“Apparently, with a longer weather, hopefully, the more crops you can have,” she said. “But at the same time, this warmer weather may introduce different diseases, pests, or other intrusive species that could damage the crop you’re expecting.”
Source – cbc.ca
