Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Plants living in cities have a longer growing season, up to three weeks longer than those living in the countryside: the responsibility falls on public lighting and, to a lesser extent, on heating.
This is indicated by a study published in the journal Nature Cities and led by Lin Meng of Vanderbilt University in the United States.
The research was based on satellite data collected over a seven-year period in 428 urban centers in the Northern Hemisphere.
Of these, 200 are located in Asia, 105 in Europe, and 123 in North America.
New York, Paris, Toronto, and Beijing are among the main cities considered in the study; among Italian cities, Rome, Naples, and Milan were considered.
Cities are known to be quite different environments, even in terms of climate, from the surrounding rural areas.
They are undoubtedly warmer due to, for example, domestic heating systems, pollution, and the presence of large amounts of asphalt and concrete, which absorb heat much more than green areas. Added to this is the fact that it is never truly nighttime in cities due to the multitude of light sources, starting with streetlights. The presence of artificial light inevitably alters the life cycle of plants.
For the first time, satellite data made it possible to measure these changes and indicated that the growing season of plants is up to three weeks longer than that of plants of the same species found in rural areas. Artificial light, in particular, causes plants to start the growing season an average of 12.6 days earlier and end it 11.2 days later.
Differences between continents were also observed: the influence of artificial lighting is especially evident in Europe, less so in Asia and North America, although North American cities are the brightest.
Furthermore, the effect of artificial lighting at night is more pronounced in cities with temperate climates and dry summers, as well as in cold climates without a dry season. (Text and Photo: Cubasí)
