THE Highlands basking in a sun-soaked, sub-tropical climate sounds
like a cruel fantasy in bleak midwinter. Three thousand years ago, that
is just how it was.
Scientists studying silt from the bed of Loch Ness have discovered
that prehistoric Highlanders once enjoyed Mediterranean-style sunshine,
sizzling summers, warm, dry winters, weather capable of sustaining
vineyards, and clear, blue skies for most of the year.
The EU-funded Rosetta Project is examining 20ft-long cores of mud,
drawn from the loch bed 600ft below the surface, which has lain
undisturbed since the end of the Ice Age 10,000 years ago.
The researchers study seeds and pollen found in the layers, deposited
each year on the floor of the loch, to calculate ancient climates.
Environmental scientist Dr Kate Farr, of Wolverhampton University,
said: ''The best period was from about 2000 BC to 50 BC when, our
studies show, the northern part of the British Isles basked in the same
kind of climate that the countries round the Mediterranean Sea enjoy
today.''
Dr Farr said the period spanned the end of the Stone Age (neolithic)
when the inhabitants of the area started using tools made from bronze.
Other scientists probing the same period have come up with evidence of
hippos in the River Thames, Dr Farr revealed.
With greenhouse gases thought to be causing global warming, Dr Farr
believes Loch Ness could once again enjoy high temperatures.
She added: ''There are so many little triggers, like volcanoes which
cool the atmosphere, that it is hard to be certain about climate change.
But there is a strong feeling among my colleagues that global warming is
happening.
''That could mean sub-tropical sun back at Loch Ness but,
unfortunately, not in our lifetimes.''
A Scottish Tourist Board spokeswoman said: ''I wish we could turn back
time. These conditions would certainly make our jobs a lot easier. If we
could sell sub-tropical sun alongside Highland scenery, we would
probably be employed to keep visitors away.''
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