Hot Spot Tierberg
Tierberg is a hot-spot of research in the Karoo in more ways than one. Not only are there more scientific papers published from research here than from anywhere else in the Karoo (see Arena et al. 2018), but this site is experiencing the highest temperatures in its 31-year history as research site. On 7th February 2019, the temperature rocketed from a cool 19°C at sunrise to 45.6°C in late afternoon – on 7 occasions during the month preceding that event, maximum daily temperatures exceeded 40°C (see figure). The trend of increasing temperatures is not new at Tierberg as the thirty-year record shows.
How much can plants and animals withstand before conditions go beyond their physiologically maximum tolerance levels have been exceeded? Similar questions also pertain at ecosystem level, not only because of heat stress, but also dehydration promoted by escalating evapotranspiration. Tierberg research promises to be hotter than ever in more ways than one.
REFERENCE
Arena, G., van der Merwe, H., Todd, S.W., Pauw, M.J., Milton, S.J., Dean, W.R.J., Henschel, J.R. (2018) Reflections, applications and future directions of Long-Term Ecological Research at Tierberg. African Journal of Range & Forage Science 35: 257-265. DOI: 10.2989/10220119.2018.1513072
