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Last Updated: Thursday, 21 June 2007, 00:12 GMT 01:12 UK
Snapshot of global climate change
By Louise Batchelor
BBC Scotland Environment Correspondent

At BBC Scotland, we've been recording the exceptional weather so far this year.

Sheep stranded in floodwater

Now we'd like you to join in.

Whether it is T-shirt weather on Ben Nevis or flash floods at your local agricultural show please send us your photos and comments and help us to create a climate change calendar.

Wrecked ski seasons, starving seabirds and floods are already being connected to climate change in Scotland.

We've also enjoyed some exceptionally hot days.

While you can't blame every twist and turn on global warming, only a handful of scientists now doubt that we're seeing a long-term trend and that humans are responsible for Earth's increased atmospheric temperatures.

The Scottish government is due to unveil targets for tackling climate change on Thursday when plans for a climate change bill are presented to the Scottish Parliament.

These days we're more likely to get rain than snow. Cairngorm Mountain said they have just had their worst-ever ski season.

Scotland is on a rollercoaster of increasingly unpredictable weather events. We were buying ice-cream cones in January and back to winter clothes in May.

Melting snow on ski slope

But the overall trend means this could be the warmest year on record here.

According to Met Office figures, this spring has been the second warmest recorded and every month this year has been warmer than the long-term average.

Dr Richard Dixon, of WWF Scotland, said: "After April's record breaking temperatures, May felt cold, but in fact it was still warmer than the long-term average, and has been exceptionally wet."

In January, the temperature reached a remarkable 15°C in Aberdeen. A man was seen swimming there without a wetsuit.

Hottest years

February brought plenty of early spring flowers, while March was the fifth sunniest on record. Surfers - this time with wetsuits - enjoyed summery conditions in North Berwick.

By April it was shirt sleeve weather and the month notched up a record-breaking number of consecutive dry days.

The Met Office said that over the past century the four hottest years in Scotland had been the last four.

Pensioner being rescued from flood
Scotland has seen a number of flooding incidents this year

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said the growing season was a month longer than it was less than half a century ago.

There are 30 days fewer snow and rainfall has risen 60% in north and west Scotland.

At this mid point in the year, 2007 could go either way.

David Parker, a climate scientist at the Met Office's Hadley Centre, said: "The cool La Nina event developing in the equatorial Pacific could prevent 2007 from being the warmest year ever."

[La Nina events are the opposite of El Ninos, which bring warm conditions.]

We're looking for your help to record Scotland's weather in video and still images as well as your comments.

You can see clips of film showing some of the examples I mentioned earlier by clicking on the "Watch" links on the right of this page.


Send us your pictures and video footage by clicking here to send an email.We plan to publish them monthly on our website so by the end of the year we'll be able to look back at pictures showing Scotland's climate during 2007.




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