Karura Forest, like much of Kenya, is wetter than usual. The ‘short rains’ so far are amongst the wettest in the last 74 years, and as of mid-December, they were not over yet! Is the Karura Forest area getting wetter? The answer is yes.
An analysis of seven decades of rainfall data — records from the Muthaiga Country Club since 1945 combined with records kept by Friends of Karura since 1994 — shows that that the average rainfall of the last two decades is about 200mm higher than the annual average from the preceding five decades, an increase from 830 mm per rain-year to just over 1,020 mm.
You can find a preliminary report below
Click the chart above to enlarge it
Our rainfall is always variable, fluctuating to plus or minus 30% of the long-term average. The analyses show that not only is it getting wetter, but the extremes are getting more so over the past two decades.
Plus, the October-December ‘short rains’ are becoming greater, nearly catching up with the March-May ‘long rains in accumulated rainfall.
Global weather these days is bedevilled by variability and extremes, and Kenya is getting a taste of both. But, as visitors to the forest will attest, Karura Forest is always cool and leafy green.
But do wait a few weeks before booking a picnic at the Ruaka Picnic site. You can see why in this short video.
A little fun while exploring
Those lucky enough to be in the vicinity of the forest when it starts to rain can smell the petrichor. What’s that, you ask?
Petrichor is the strange and wonderful odour that emanates from newly-wetted soil. The singular smell is comprised mainly of geosmin, a complex organic compound produced by soil bacteria and released in a volatile form, especially after a dry period.
Some believe the extraordinary sensitivity of the human nose to geosmin evolved to help early hominids move quickly to sources of rain, new grass growth and the antelopes that were probably drawn to the spot by the same earthy emanation.
You can read the whole report by clicking below
