A big issue in Colorado is the pine beetle infestation killing the Lodgepole pines. Scientists apparently believe it is linked to global warming and claim that the temperature of the Colorado River basin has risen 2.2 degrees over the last 5 years. They state this is twice as fast as the global rate. That statement leaves me a bit confused. A prediction regarding future temperature rises is:
By and large, there is a very detectable warming in this region,” said Martin Hoerling, a meteorologist at the NOAA-funded Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder. His own research suggests the West could heat up a lot more, possibly by 5 degrees by the midpoint of the century, depending on the level of greenhouse-gas emissions.
So if the temperature has risen 2.2 degrees in the last 5 years, why only 5 more degrees in the next 40 years? Read the complete article on the Daily Camera website (registration required).
Read the comment by “slehan”, he reports on a presentation by a US Forest Service botanist. Basically the lodgepole pines are very old and thus susceptible to infestation since they can’t produce sap at a fast enough rate to fight off the pine beetles.
