Cities in the southern half of the rainforest have
limited or no hydropower because of low water
levels. That means power has to be generated by
burning diesel fuel, Thoman said.
July was the hottest month measured on Earth
since records began in 1880, NOAA reported.
And a United Nations report earlier this month
warned that global warming threatens food
supplies around the world.
But Alaska’s recent heat has had silver linings.
Barley and other crops are ready to harvest,
said Stephen Brown of the University of Alaska
Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service.
The growing season has been extended by a
month, and if extra days become the norm,
they will expand what can be grown in the
state. Brown used heat radiated from his
blacktop driveway to grow fruit not usually seen
outside greenhouses.
“I’ve got a bumper crop of tomatoes and
jalapenos this summer,” he said.
On the other hand, the weather has stressed
birch trees and left them vulnerable to leaf-
eating insects.
“That gives the leaf miners opportunity to really
whack them good,” he said. “I’m looking at my
lawn right now, and I need to rake leaves.”
Brettschneider, the climate researcher, sees
mostly negative effects from the hot July and
climate warming. Alaska looks the way it does
because of the temperature regime, he said, and
in 50 years, Alaska may look like Idaho.
“We should expect changes. We should expect
the forests to be in different locations. We should
expect wildlife to move. We should expect plants
to move. And in many cases, if they can’t move
fast enough, we should expect them to just go
away,” he said.
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