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54-627: Rothiemurchus Forest is a remnant of the Caledonian Forest at grid reference NH9209 near Aviemore , Inverness-shire , Scotland . It is in the Highland region . The forest is popular for recreation and contains important independent wildlife, including the osprey , Scottish crossbill , capercaillie , crested tit and European wildcat . Stretching from the River Spey to the high mountain plateau, Rothiemurchus sits within

108-570: A biome classification, as climate is a major influence on life in a region. One of the most used is the Köppen climate classification scheme first developed in 1899. There are several ways to classify climates into similar regimes. Originally, climes were defined in Ancient Greece to describe the weather depending upon a location's latitude. Modern climate classification methods can be broadly divided into genetic methods, which focus on

162-526: A 30-year period. A 30-year period is used as it is long enough to filter out any interannual variation or anomalies such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation , but also short enough to be able to show longer climatic trends." The WMO originated from the International Meteorological Organization which set up a technical commission for climatology in 1929. At its 1934 Wiesbaden meeting, the technical commission designated

216-473: A distinct variety of soils, vegetation, and animals. To a great extent the remnants survived on land that was either too steep, too rocky, or too remote to be agriculturally useful. The largest remnants are in Strathspey and Strath Dee on highly acidic, freely drained glacial deposits that are of little value for cultivation and domestic stock. An examination of the earliest maps of Scotland suggests that

270-419: A few global datasets exist. Global climate models can be dynamically or statistically downscaled to regional climate models to analyze impacts of climate change on a local scale. Examples are ICON or mechanistically downscaled data such as CHELSA (Climatologies at high resolution for the earth's land surface areas). The most talked-about applications of these models in recent years have been their use to infer

324-510: A few other hardy species. On the west coast, oak and birch predominated in a temperate rainforest ecosystem rich in ferns , mosses and lichens . The name comes from Pliny the Elder who reveals that 30 years after the Roman invasion of Britain their knowledge of it did not extend beyond the neighbourhood of silva caledonia . He gives no information about where the silva caledonia was, but

378-684: A growing interest to reintroduce animals which are native to but currently extinct in Great Britain , back into Caledonian pine forests. Corporations have been set up to persuade the government to allow this. The long-running campaign to reintroduce the Eurasian beaver to Knapdale in Argyll has been successful, and there is some support for the reintroduction of the grey wolf and Eurasian lynx . Recently, some landowners have announced plans to build large game reserves on their land and release

432-486: A location is affected by its latitude , longitude , terrain , altitude , land use and nearby water bodies and their currents. Climates can be classified according to the average and typical variables, most commonly temperature and precipitation . The most widely used classification scheme is the Köppen climate classification . The Thornthwaite system , in use since 1948, incorporates evapotranspiration along with temperature and precipitation information and

486-421: A time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorological variables that are commonly measured are temperature , humidity , atmospheric pressure , wind , and precipitation . In a broader sense, climate is the state of the components of the climate system , including the atmosphere , hydrosphere , cryosphere , lithosphere and biosphere and the interactions between them. The climate of

540-403: A wider sense is the state, including a statistical description, of the climate system." The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) describes " climate normals " as "reference points used by climatologists to compare current climatological trends to that of the past or what is considered typical. A climate normal is defined as the arithmetic average of a climate element (e.g. temperature) over

594-562: Is as follows: "Climate in a narrow sense is usually defined as the "average weather", or more rigorously, as the statistical description in terms of the mean and variability of relevant quantities over a period ranging from months to thousands or millions of years. The classical period is 30 years, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). These quantities are most often surface variables such as temperature, precipitation, and wind. Climate in

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648-460: Is briefly explained, " a Chyledyr Wyllt y uab, a llad Nwython a oruc a diot y gallon, a chymhell yssu callon y dat, ac am hynny yd aeth Kyledyr yg gwyllt ." ("and his son Kyledyr the Wild. Gwynn killed Nwython and cut out his heart, and forced Kyledyr to eat his father's heart, and that is how Kyledyr went mad"). Though not named directly, the very name Kyledyr Wyllt is close to the two related notions of

702-491: Is considered an indicator species for that habitat type. Fire appears to increase the natural recruitment of Scots pine seedlings. The charity Trees for Life (Scotland) has been working to conserve the remaining forest, and reforest areas where it has been lost, using fences to prevent deer from eating saplings. This involves the reintroduction of the full range of native flora, including mycorrhizal fungi that assist soil regeneration . In recent years, there has been

756-462: Is discussed in terms of global warming , which results in redistributions of biota . For example, as climate scientist Lesley Ann Hughes has written: "a 3 °C [5 °F] change in mean annual temperature corresponds to a shift in isotherms of approximately 300–400 km [190–250 mi] in latitude (in the temperate zone) or 500 m [1,600 ft] in elevation. Therefore, species are expected to move upwards in elevation or towards

810-580: Is used in studying biological diversity and how climate change affects it. The major classifications in Thornthwaite's climate classification are microthermal, mesothermal, and megathermal. Finally, the Bergeron and Spatial Synoptic Classification systems focus on the origin of air masses that define the climate of a region. Paleoclimatology is the study of ancient climates. Paleoclimatologists seek to explain climate variations for all parts of

864-406: Is what you expect, weather is what you get." Over historical time spans, there are a number of nearly constant variables that determine climate, including latitude , altitude, proportion of land to water, and proximity to oceans and mountains. All of these variables change only over periods of millions of years due to processes such as plate tectonics . Other climate determinants are more dynamic:

918-637: The Black Book of Carmarthen . The forest is also the retreat of another character named Lailoken from the Vita Kentigerni , who also fled into the woods in a fit of madness and who may be the original model for Myrddin Wyllt. William A. Young argues that Brocéliande , the forest which features in Chrétien de Troys ' Arthurian romance, Le Chevalier au lion , may be the forest of Celython. In

972-686: The Cairngorms National Park . Much of the forest is within the Rothiemurchus Estate, in the ownership of the Grant family since the 1540s. The estate is now owned and managed by Johnnie Grant, 13th Earl of Dysart and 17th Laird of Rothiemurchus, along with his family. The land was also managed by Philippa Grant, Countess of Dysart till September 2022, when she was killed in a road traffic collision. In 2014, Rothiemurchus Upper Forest - covering 2,300 hectares (5,700 acres) -

1026-516: The Scottish Government listed 84 sites as Caledonian pinewood in regulations, given below. 57°07′12″N 4°42′36″W  /  57.1200°N 4.7100°W  / 57.1200; -4.7100 Climate This is an accepted version of this page Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over

1080-574: The temperate coniferous forests began retreating north into the Scottish Highlands , the last remaining climatic region suitable for them in the British Isles (see Climate of Scotland ). The native pinewoods that formed this westernmost outpost of the taiga of post-glacial Europe are estimated to have covered 15,000 km (3,700,000 acres) as a vast wilderness of Scots pine , birch , rowan , aspen , juniper , oak and

1134-484: The thermohaline circulation of the ocean leads to a 5 °C (9 °F) warming of the northern Atlantic Ocean compared to other ocean basins. Other ocean currents redistribute heat between land and water on a more regional scale. The density and type of vegetation coverage affects solar heat absorption, water retention, and rainfall on a regional level. Alterations in the quantity of atmospheric greenhouse gases (particularly carbon dioxide and methane ) determines

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1188-404: The 1980s showed that further damage had occurred through ploughing and planting with non-native conifers with less than 12,000 ha of the ancient habitat remaining. A subsequent guide to the ancient pinewoods reviews the conservation story and provides a summary of the management in each site as well as a guide on how to reach all the woods using public transport, walking, and cycling. Much of

1242-497: The 35) covering about 180 square kilometres (69 sq mi) or 44,000 acres (18,000 ha). The Scots pines of these remnants are, by definition, directly descended from the first pines to arrive in Scotland following the ice age. These remnants have adapted genetically to different Scottish environments, and as such, are globally unique; their ecological characteristics form an unbroken, 9000-year chain of natural evolution with

1296-495: The Arctic region and oceans. Climate variability is the term to describe variations in the mean state and other characteristics of climate (such as chances or possibility of extreme weather , etc.) "on all spatial and temporal scales beyond that of individual weather events." Some of the variability does not appear to be caused systematically and occurs at random times. Such variability is called random variability or noise . On

1350-560: The British Isles: Mammal species present in Caledonian pine forests: Insect species in the Caledonian pine forests: Mammal species extinct in Caledonian pine forests: A review of the native pinewoods of Scotland Steven & Carlisle (1959) highlighted the plight of the remaining 35 ancient pinewood sites, many of which had been damaged by felling, fire and intensive grazing from sheep and deer. A later review in

1404-812: The Caledonian Forest are directly descended from the first pines to arrive in Scotland following the Late Glacial ; arriving about 7000 BC . The forest reached its maximum extent about 5000 BC , after which the Scottish climate became wetter and windier. This changed climate reduced the extent of the forest significantly by 2000 BC . From that date, human actions (including the grazing effects of sheep and deer) reduced it to its current extent. Today, that forest exists as 35 remnants, as authenticated by Steven & Carlisle (1959) (or 84 remnants, including later subjective subdivisions of

1458-459: The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, average global air temperature has passed 1.5C of warming the period from February 2023 to January 2024. Climate models use quantitative methods to simulate the interactions and transfer of radiative energy between the atmosphere , oceans , land surface and ice through a series of physics equations. They are used for a variety of purposes, from the study of

1512-606: The Earth during any given geologic period, beginning with the time of the Earth's formation. Since very few direct observations of climate were available before the 19th century, paleoclimates are inferred from proxy variables . They include non-biotic evidence—such as sediments found in lake beds and ice cores —and biotic evidence—such as tree rings and coral. Climate models are mathematical models of past, present, and future climates. Climate change may occur over long and short timescales due to various factors. Recent warming

1566-516: The European Union Habitats Directive . Scientific research continues on the ecology of the Caledonian Forest and its restoration. Populations of the rare groundcover, Linnaea borealis , may be too isolated from one another to produce viable seed. Diversity of fungi has also been affected by the decrease in habitat. The agaric fungus Mycena purpureofusca is commonly found in Caledonian pine woods, and it

1620-462: The Middle Welsh story Culhwch and Olwen , the main character Culhwch is the son of a king named Celyddon Wledig, who may or may not be related to the forest in name. Another figure from the same story, Cyledyr Wyllt hints at a close relationship of the forest being a retreat for people who suffered from a special kind of madness or gwyllt (Irish geilt ). In line 994 to 996 of the story, it

1674-701: The Old Welsh poem Cad Goddeu ("Battle of the Trees") are intended to be the Caledonian Forest. In related Merlin literature, the figure of Myrddin Wyllt retreated to these woods in his madness after the Battle of Arfderydd in the year 573. He fled from the alleged wrath of the king of Strathclyde, Rhydderch Hael , after the slaying of Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio . This is written in the two Merlinic poems in Middle Welsh Yr Oinau and Yr Afallenau in

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1728-462: The amount of solar energy retained by the planet, leading to global warming or global cooling . The variables which determine climate are numerous and the interactions complex, but there is general agreement that the broad outlines are understood, at least insofar as the determinants of historical climate change are concerned. Climate classifications are systems that categorize the world's climates. A climate classification may correlate closely with

1782-426: The causes of climate, and empiric methods, which focus on the effects of climate. Examples of genetic classification include methods based on the relative frequency of different air mass types or locations within synoptic weather disturbances. Examples of empiric classifications include climate zones defined by plant hardiness , evapotranspiration, or more generally the Köppen climate classification which

1836-482: The consequences of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, primarily carbon dioxide (see greenhouse gas ). These models predict an upward trend in the global mean surface temperature , with the most rapid increase in temperature being projected for the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Models can range from relatively simple to quite complex. Simple radiant heat transfer models treat

1890-557: The context of environmental policy , the term "climate change" often refers only to changes in modern climate, including the rise in average surface temperature known as global warming . In some cases, the term is also used with a presumption of human causation, as in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC uses "climate variability" for non-human caused variations. Earth has undergone periodic climate shifts in

1944-583: The dynamics of the weather and climate system to projections of future climate. All climate models balance, or very nearly balance, incoming energy as short wave (including visible) electromagnetic radiation to the Earth with outgoing energy as long wave (infrared) electromagnetic radiation from the Earth. Any imbalance results in a change in the average temperature of the Earth. Climate models are available on different resolutions ranging from >100 km to 1 km. High resolutions in global climate models require significant computational resources, and so only

1998-589: The extent of the Caledonian Forest remnants has changed little since 1600. Following the last glacial period , trees began to recolonise what is now the British Isles over a land bridge which is now beneath the Strait of Dover . Forests of this type were found all over what is now the island of Great Britain for a few thousand years, before the climate began to slowly warm in the Atlantic period , and

2052-611: The forest of Celyddon being where people suffering madness or gwyllt hide. Being a unique ecosystem in the British Isles, the Caledonian Pinewoods are home to some of the islands' rarest wildlife . It is considered to be one of the last remaining wildernesses in the British Isles. Breeding bird species in Caledonian pine forests found breeding nowhere else in the British Isles: Breeding bird species in Caledonian pine forests rare elsewhere in

2106-421: The global temperature and produce an interglacial period. Suggested causes of ice age periods include the positions of the continents , variations in the Earth's orbit, changes in the solar output, and volcanism. However, these naturally caused changes in climate occur on a much slower time scale than the present rate of change which is caused by the emission of greenhouse gases by human activities. According to

2160-639: The known extent of the Roman occupation suggest that it was north of the River Clyde and west of the River Tay . In the Matter of Britain , the forest is the site of one of King Arthur 's Twelve Battles, according to the Historia Brittonum , in which the battle is called Cat Coit Celidon . Scholars Rachel Bromwich and Marged Haycock suggest that the army of trees animated by sorcerers in

2214-456: The modern time scale, their observation frequency, their known error, their immediate environment, and their exposure have changed over the years, which must be considered when studying the climate of centuries past. Long-term modern climate records skew towards population centres and affluent countries. Since the 1960s, the launch of satellites allow records to be gathered on a global scale, including areas with little to no human presence, such as

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2268-404: The most common atmospheric variables (air temperature, pressure, precipitation and wind), other variables such as humidity, visibility, cloud amount, solar radiation, soil temperature, pan evaporation rate, days with thunder and days with hail are also collected to measure change in climate conditions. The difference between climate and weather is usefully summarized by the popular phrase "Climate

2322-705: The other hand, periodic variability occurs relatively regularly and in distinct modes of variability or climate patterns. There are close correlations between Earth's climate oscillations and astronomical factors ( barycenter changes, solar variation , cosmic ray flux, cloud albedo feedback , Milankovic cycles ), and modes of heat distribution between the ocean-atmosphere climate system. In some cases, current, historical and paleoclimatological natural oscillations may be masked by significant volcanic eruptions , impact events , irregularities in climate proxy data, positive feedback processes or anthropogenic emissions of substances such as greenhouse gases . Over

2376-402: The past state of the climate. It demonstrates periods of stability and periods of change and can indicate whether changes follow patterns such as regular cycles. Details of the modern climate record are known through the taking of measurements from such weather instruments as thermometers , barometers , and anemometers during the past few centuries. The instruments used to study weather over

2430-465: The past, including four major ice ages . These consist of glacial periods where conditions are colder than normal, separated by interglacial periods. The accumulation of snow and ice during a glacial period increases the surface albedo , reflecting more of the Sun's energy into space and maintaining a lower atmospheric temperature. Increases in greenhouse gases , such as by volcanic activity , can increase

2484-508: The poles in latitude in response to shifting climate zones." Climate (from Ancient Greek κλίμα  'inclination') is commonly defined as the weather averaged over a long period. The standard averaging period is 30 years, but other periods may be used depending on the purpose. Climate also includes statistics other than the average, such as the magnitudes of day-to-day or year-to-year variations. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2001 glossary definition

2538-535: The remaining Caledonian pine forest is fully protected with most of the forest lying within the Cairngorms National Park . The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Forestry and Land Scotland also own several areas of pinewood on their reserves. One of the largest remaining areas is Ballochbuie Forest on the Balmoral Estate , which is protected as a Special Area of Conservation under

2592-437: The species within them. Paul Lister plans to release Eurasian lynx, brown bear , grey wolf, elk , wild boar and species already present in Scotland into a huge 200 km (49,000-acre) enclosure at his estate, Alladale Wilderness Reserve , although releasing top predators such as wolves and bears has become a difficult proposition with local and national regulations. An initial trial enclosure of 5.5 km (1,400 acres)

2646-489: The thirty-year period from 1901 to 1930 as the reference time frame for climatological standard normals. In 1982, the WMO agreed to update climate normals, and these were subsequently completed on the basis of climate data from 1 January 1961 to 31 December 1990. The 1961–1990 climate normals serve as the baseline reference period. The next set of climate normals to be published by WMO is from 1991 to 2010. Aside from collecting from

2700-479: The variability or average state of the atmosphere over time scales ranging from decades to millions of years. These changes can be caused by processes internal to the Earth , external forces (e.g. variations in sunlight intensity) or human activities, as found recently. Scientists have identified Earth's Energy Imbalance (EEI) to be a fundamental metric of the status of global change. In recent usage, especially in

2754-448: The years, the definitions of climate variability and the related term climate change have shifted. While the term climate change now implies change that is both long-term and of human causation, in the 1960s the word climate change was used for what we now describe as climate variability, that is, climatic inconsistencies and anomalies. Climate change is the variation in global or regional climates over time. It reflects changes in

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2808-611: Was built with elk, wild boar, red deer and roe deer. Bain (2013) lists 38 ancient pinewood sites in Britain which have been identified as the most genuinely native and natural. All of them occur in the Scottish Highlands. The Caledonian Pinewood Inventory breaks these down into 84 smaller sub-units of the main sites. In March 2019, as part of the implementation of the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018 ,

2862-533: Was originally designed to identify the climates associated with certain biomes . A common shortcoming of these classification schemes is that they produce distinct boundaries between the zones they define, rather than the gradual transition of climate properties more common in nature. Paleoclimatology is the study of past climate over a great period of the Earth 's history. It uses evidence with different time scales (from decades to millennia) from ice sheets, tree rings, sediments, pollen, coral, and rocks to determine

2916-458: Was sold to Forestry Commission Scotland (now Forestry and Land Scotland ) for £7.4 million. 57°09′33″N 3°47′14″W  /  57.1591°N 3.7872°W  / 57.1591; -3.7872 This article related to a protected area in Scotland is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Highland location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Caledonian Forest The Scots pines of

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