NEWS
Better prospects for rain next season
T
he next rainy season in
Gauteng could be a bit
wetter than the last,
and the drought that has
gripped the country generally
in recent months could be
broken if early predictions by
Australian oceanographers
come true.
That's because they are
saying, at this early stage, that
indications for seawater
temperatures in the central
Pacific Ocean point towards a
weak La Nina effect developing over the coming months.
A La Nina (“the girl” in
Spanish) effect is the opposite
of the El Nino (“the boy”) that
the southern hemisphere
experienced last summer.
With a La Nina event, ocean
temperatures are generally
lower than average in the
central Pacific, which
sometimes results in slightly
higher temperatures in the
Western Pacific, the effect on
the atmosphere generally
being to increase moisture,
resulting in increased rainfall
over the land masses of the
southern hemisphere,
including southern Africa and
Australia.
The exact opposite happens
in an El Nino event.
GARDEN WORLD
From page 10
the ever-popular Margaret
Roberts on herbs, a mother
and child flower arranging
workshop with Interflora,
trendy ways to upcycle and
recycle, and a morning of
music and garden mayhem
with Tanya Visser, Richard
Cock and Paul Vonk, of
Mayford Seeds, presenting 'In
Tune With Nature'.
Other annual attractions at
the festival are the school
gardens, children's box
gardens, and floral exhibits of
the Gauteng Flora Union and
Interflora.
For information on the Spring
Festival and booking for the
talks, workshops and music
contact Magriet or Corné on
011 957-2545 /011 9563003 or 083 997-6142. Or
visit www.gardenworld.co.za
11
www.sasmallholder.co.za
The intensity of these events
varies, with the degree of
drought or heavy rainfall
being in correlation to the
variance in temperatures.