News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on The USDA's gardening zones shifted, this map shows you what's changed. Parent comment

Re:The USDA's gardening zones shifted, this map shows you wh... by galangalalgol on Monday May 13, 2024 @02:49PM (#40346811)
Yeah... Ok, my average temperature increased by %4.x percent, but my variance increased by quite a bit more than that. The assumptions underlying the growing zone approximation were never great ones, but I find the whole idea largely irrelevant now. Cold snaps a good ten degrees below normal have now repeatedly killed established natives (as in you could find them in local wildlife preserves). And the long dry spells averaging what used to be the yearly high, now kill plants adapted to live in actual deserts. Is it wrong that part of me is fascinated to see what comes next?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The USDA's gardening zones shifted, this map shows you wh... by voisin on Monday May 13, 2024 @03:28PM (#40347298)
> my average temperature increased by %4.x percent

Can you do that with temperatures not in kelvin (with true zero)?

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The USDA's gardening zones shifted, this map shows you wh... by cozzyd on Monday May 13, 2024 @04:29PM (#40348032)
you can do what you want but it doesn't make it meaningful
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The USDA's gardening zones shifted, this map shows you wh... by DangitBobby on Monday May 13, 2024 @05:53PM (#40348941)
It's not more meaningful in Kelvin. 1 to 4 is a 300% increase and so is 200 to 800. So hearing 300% tells you absolutely nothing, without the added context of "from the previous average temperature of the region".
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The USDA's gardening zones shifted, this map shows you wh... by voisin on Monday May 13, 2024 @06:26PM (#40349286)
My point is that a 4% increase in numbers on a scale where zero does not equate tot he total absence is not actually 4% hotter.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The USDA's gardening zones shifted, this map shows you wh... by smolder on Monday May 13, 2024 @07:09PM (#40349649)
Yes, it is. Percentages don't mean anything in temperature unless it is Kelvin where 0 is truly 0.

1 to 4 degrees Celsius is not a 300% increase in anything but the integer representing temp. Try that in Fahrenheit or with a negative value.

Edit: I think I initially missed your point that percentages are kind of silly to use anyway.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The USDA's gardening zones shifted, this map shows you wh... by dragonwriter on Monday May 13, 2024 @07:14PM (#40349694)
> Percentages don’t mean anything in temperature unless it is Kelvin where 0 is truly 0.

Well, technically any absolute scale: Kelvin is the most common, but Rankine has the same feature. (It just uses Fahrenheit-sized degrees instead of Celsius-sized.)

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The USDA's gardening zones shifted, this map shows you wh... by smolder on Monday May 13, 2024 @07:18PM (#40349712)
I wondered if there might be others but left it up to you to correct me. :)
[ Parent | on HN ]