BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2023
When the Tonga volcano erupted 18 months ago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it set in motion a chain of events that Maine growers and homesteaders will deal with for at least the next several years, experts say. The Tonga volcano eruption underwater in the southern Pacific Ocean in early 2022 shot massive amounts of water vapor into the atmosphere. The water vapor produced by the Tonga volcano was enough to warm the planet and impact weather patterns for a decade, While climate experts are not ready to say Maine’s growing seasons are undergoing a permanent change, growing seasons are increasingly unpredictable. Growers now have to be ready to quickly adapt to extreme weather and changes within a single season.