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posted by CoolHand on Thursday May 07 2015, @08:42PM   Printer-friendly
from the don't-mess-with-my-coffee dept.

For years, studies have warned that a warmer planet might mean fewer cups of morning coffee--but a new study claims that rising temperatures are already taking their toll on East Africa's coffee crops.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, found that Tanzania's production of Arabica coffee--the most-consumed coffee species in the world--has fallen by 46 percent since 1966. Over the same period of time, the average nighttime temperature in Tanzania increased 1.4 degrees Celsius.

[...]The researchers analyzed the impact of climate variables on crop yield. Through statistical analysis, they found that increasing temperature had a negative effect on coffee yields --- but the specific interaction between temperature and coffee growth surprised them.

"We've always known that high temperatures and low rainfall impact coffee," [Alessandro Craparo, a co-author of the study] said. "What this study found, and what's really important, is its nighttime temperatures that are increasing at a rapid rate and having a bigger impact on coffee than what's happening in the day."

Arabica coffee is a sensitive plant that needs cool nights in order to thrive. For each 1-degree Celsius rise in nighttime temperatures, the researchers found, Arabica coffee yields declined by an average of 302 pounds of coffee per hectare, almost half of the typical small producer's entire yield. If trends continue as they have in previous decade, the study says, Arabica yields in Tanzania will drop to around 320 pounds per hectare by 2060.

 
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  • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by FatPhil on Friday May 08 2015, @06:45AM

    by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Friday May 08 2015, @06:45AM (#180217) Homepage
    The 1.4 degrees rise, 302 lb/degree drop, 46% drop, 302 lb being almost half, and 320 lb yield figures do not add up.
    The first two imply that 1.4*302 = 423lb has *already* dropped. Which would be way more than almost half.

    And don't use cranky meaningless units - bring the fucking Fahrenheits back.
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @12:49PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @12:49PM (#180295)

    Celsius / Centigrade meaningless? 0 = freezing point of water, 100 = boiling point of water, that seems fairly meaningful to me. Particularly compared to Fahrenheit with its freezing point illogically at 32.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @01:28PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @01:28PM (#180301)
      32 was perfectly logical at the time the scale was devised. But it's not like you have the entire internet at your fingertips to go find out why.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @01:35PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @01:35PM (#180304)

        yes, perfectly logical since most of us (then and now) love a nice brine ice cube. Sorry, I'm afraid that seems a little bit specialist compared to a scale defined by state changes in the same substance.

        • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @03:44PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @03:44PM (#180342)

          Celsius also requires specially selected water and conditions to freeze at 0. The vast majority of water in the world (no I am not playing cheap and using the argument that seawater is the most common, but it is) will never freeze at 0 Celsius. Some freeze warmer, most freeze colder.

          Don't believe me? Grab a quality temperature gauge, a glass of tap water, and do some science!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @10:32PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @10:32PM (#180528)

      Celsius / Centigrade meaningless? 0 = freezing point of water, 100 = boiling point of water, that seems fairly meaningful to me. Particularly compared to Fahrenheit with its freezing point illogically at 32.

      Pffft! Step aside, poseurs. The true geek uses Kelvin where zero actually means something.

    • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday May 09 2015, @07:45AM

      by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Saturday May 09 2015, @07:45AM (#180667) Homepage
      Odd, you've confused me as to where you're from. You have knowledge of units unknown to many americans, but an ability to detect irony as poor as most modern-day americans.

      As anyone with any wit can tell, my prior post was a criticism of the use of *pounds*. I had already dumbed it down by the use of a nonexistent plural of Fahrenheit, but clearly I didn't dumb it down enough.

      My reason for inclusion of "modern-day" in the above sentence? Because once you've read Benjamin Franklin's letter about what would become daylight saving time you'll realise that mastery of thickly laid on irony was not unknown amongst american authors historically (OK, whilst that one was living in Europe, but Bierce and Mencken had sarcastic wit in spades too.).
      --
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