Climate Change Could Usher in Spring Three Weeks Early
Over the next century, spring could arrive three weeks early to the United States due to climate change.
According to NBC News, researchers at University of Wisconsin in Madison cautioned that early springs could not just affect farmers but also disturb ecological balance maintained by migratory birds and species dependent on flowering plants. The calculation of spring arrival was based on the emergence of flowering in plants over the century.
"Our projections show that winter will be shorter - which sound greats great for those of us in Wisconsin. But long distance migratory birds, for example, time their migration based on day length in their winter range. They may arrive in their breeding ground to find that the plant resources that they require are already gone," said Andrew Allstadt one of the paper's authors.
The study also predicted risk of 'false springs' - occurrence of freezing temperatures after apparent onset of spring. Such conditions can be detrimental to agriculture.
"This is important as false springs can damage plant production cycles in natural and agricultural systems. In some cases, an entire crop can be lost," said. False springs risk had increased in Great Plains and portions of the Midwest, researchers wrote in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
"We are expanding our research to cover all kinds of extreme weather, including droughts and heat waves. We are particularly interested in how these affect bird populations in wildlife refuges," Allstadt added.
