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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) 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!