Colder?

Is Tonga Growing

Curious Weather Phenomenon

A CURIOUS meteorological pheno menon is referred to by a corre spondent of this journal at Nukualofa, Tonga.

It is pointed out that Tongatabu, which is the most southerly of the larger islands of the Tongan Group, had a climate 20 years ago which was highly favourable to the cultivation of tropical plants and which did not per mit the successful growth of vegetables common to the temperate zone. Dur ing the last couple of decades, how ever, the climate has definitely changed, and has become sub-tropical, if not actually temperate, in its char acter. Instead of a comparatively brief period of cool weather, there are now three months of cold weather and some four months of weather that is quite cool.

The result is seen, according to our correspondent, in the vegetation. The plants which definitely require tropical conditions are not showing the same vigorous growth as formerly, while the landowners of Tongatabu have discov ered that they can now grow an abun dance of vegetables not usually seen outside the temperate zone. Within very recent years, large quantities of these vegetables have been grown and sent to the Auckland market —but the effect has been only to create a glut of this produce, and the growers have lost money.

From the scientific point of view, the development is very interesting.

Is it merely the effect of a regular weather cycle, with possibly an un usual succession of long winters, or is some permanent change taking place in Tongan meteorology? It is worth noting that Tongatabu is in the same latitude as New Caledonia and Raro tonga. but is considerably south of Fiji, Tahiti, Samoa and other Pacific territories regarded as having a cool tropical climate.

The Tongan Islands, incidentally, are right on the edge of the Challen ger Deep, that tremendous hole in the Pacific that is almost bottomless and which is on one of the world’s vol canic belts.