March 14. Kenya has been experiencing a severe drought, and even though my Earthwatch expedition guide said that March is the rainy season, we have seen no rain… not a drop. It is very hot and dry. Yesterday the temperature was 38 degrees Centigrade. If you convert that to Fahrenheit, you’ll know how hot it is. Here’s how:
Multiply the temperature in Centigrade by 1.8 and then add 32.
The land is very dry, too. The only water we’ve seen was in the Samburu Reserve yesterday. Towards the end of our study area, we saw a lot of livestock at the river in the Reserve. It is not legal for them to be there, but without water they will die. We saw evidence of that today—we found several dead cows while we were out looking for zebras.
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| livestock grazing |
Bringing livestock into the reserve creates different problems, though. One big group of livestock we saw was in a spot that is a favorite watering place for Grevy’s Zebras. So the zebras must find somewhere else to drink. The livestock are also easy prey for wild animals, like the lions in the Preserve. If the lions get used to eating cattle and goats, which they can catch easily, they will become unable to hunt—an ecological disaster. There are no easy answers. Pray for rain!
5 Responses to “How’s the Weather?”
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About me
- Hi! My name is Shayne Russell, and I'm the Library Media Specialist at Kenneth R. Olson Middle School in Tabernacle, NJ. Come along with me on an adventure to Kenya, Africa! We will be working as volunteer researchers, side-by-side with scientists who are studying the endangered Grevy's Zebra. Let's see what research looks like... outside of the library!
Photos from the Field
A herd of Grevy's Zebras grazing.
Zebra Day 3/2/06
Leader of the Herd
Mrs. A and Mrs. Havers
Mr. Stecher wore his zebra tie!
A good time was had by all.
From what I have read in your journal entry, it seems Kenya has been experiencing a pretty serious drought. This may strike most as pretty surprising, but I have always seen Africa as a desert climate. From all the pictures I’ve seen taken in Africa, it reminds me of one of those very dry places with one or two ponds for the animals to drink out of. Luckily in these types of places, when it rains, it pours. So, good luck with the weather!
Sean, I have to confess that when we first arrived in Wamba, I felt like I was in New Mexico-- only with different vegetation and animals! It's very different in Lewa, though!
i can"t belive it gets so hot. don't you guys worry about the animals? I sure would if i was out there.i can give one word of advice to you guys stay hidrated.
I did the problem converting 38 Centigrade to Fahrenheit. I multiplied 38 times 1.8, and then I added 32. I got 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit!
After calculating the formula you gave, I came to the conclusion that the weather on this particular day was 100.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Kenya is experiencing a drought, so the weather is very high. I think it is amazing how the scientists can stay outside all day in 100 degree weather. It is also very interesting how the scientists can easily tell the difference between Grevy's and Plains zebras.