Mild winter makes nature sweat
Since Christmas, nature has been under constant stress, so to speak – because most plants and animals are actually set to rest in winter. But there is no such calm this year: the blooming hazel bushes at the Salzburg Weather Service in Freisaal are only a result of the much too mild winter. Although it was really chilly in mid-December, the average temperature this winter is one degree higher than it has been for the past 30 years. You have to differentiate where, says meteorologist Josef Haslhofer from GeoSphere Austria.
The almost continuously frost-free nights only apply to the foothills of the Alps. “It’s been unusually warm here since Christmas – also in Tennengau and Flachgau. And that it’s been frost-free for almost three weeks, that’s not normal for December and January.”
Hibernation shorter this year
Because of the unusually mild temperatures, even allergy sufferers can hardly catch their breath in the truest sense of the word. Bushes, trees and some grasses that are in bloom also affect nature itself, says biologist Ulrike Gartner from the University of Salzburg.
“Nature’s hibernation is shorter. It’s the same with us humans. If we sleep longer every day, then that also means stress. You can stand it for a while, but at some point you start to suspect it. In the case of nature, this means that fewer seeds are formed and plants can no longer reproduce and multiply,” says the Salzburg biologist.
The consequences for the animals in the forest are not only negative. According to the hunters, the most important thing here is that the game has enough rest. In the expected mild temperatures, there will be winners and losers, says veterinarian and state hunting champion deputy Gabriele Fidler.
“The winners are the roe deer, the red deer and also the feathered game because these animals now have enough food. The losers include mountain hares and rock ptarmigans, for example, because they lose their camouflage due to the lack of snow.”
Incidentally, despite the spring-like temperatures, the forest is not yet sprouting, says Georg Grill, forest officer at the Chamber of Agriculture. This requires the interplay of temperature and light. “And as long as the days don’t get that much longer, the tree and the plant know it’s not spring yet.”
Permafrost is receding
Geologists are also concerned about the heat wave this winter – because “actually, massive changes are taking place in the high mountains due to the temperatures,” says Hans Steyrer. Keyword “permafrost”. This holds – said – the mountains together and goes back more and more.
The good news is that winter is expected to arrive in the course of the next week. According to meteorologists, the temperatures should drop to normal winter conditions and the snow should also return to Salzburg.