17-Nation Study: Europe's Springs Come Earlier, Autumns Later - Guardian

[hatrack]

EDIT

In what is believed to be the world's largest study of seasonal events, such as the flowering of plants, autumnal leaf fall and insect behaviour, scientists found that spring now arrives six to eight days earlier across Europe than in the early 1970s. Warmer temperatures have also delayed autumn, by an average of three days in the past 30 years, the scientists report.

Countries that have experienced the greatest warming saw the earliest springs, according to the study in the journal Global Change Biology. In Spain, where early spring temperatures have risen by up to 1C a decade, spring now arrives two weeks earlier. Britain is warming at a slower rate, with temperatures creeping up 1C in the past three decades. "Not only do we clearly demonstrate change in the timing of seasons, but that change is much stronger in countries that have experienced more warming," said Tim Sparks, an environmental scientist on the study at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Monks Wood near Huntingdon. Dr Sparks said the shifting seasons were already disrupting sensitive ecosystems by knocking natural processes such as pollination out of kilter.

"One of the biggest problems is that species don't adapt to warming at the same rate. So if you have a bird that feeds on an insect that relies on a certain plant for food, and any one of those responds to warming differently to the others, the whole system can break down," he said.

Scientists from 17 countries took part in the study and analysed 125,000 records and observations in Europe compiled between 1971 and 2000. The records, which covered 542 plant species and 19 animals, showed that 80% of all leafing, flowering and fruiting was now happening earlier in the year.

EDIT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1858858,00.html

[LiberalEsto]

1. It's happening in the U.S. too

In Maryland, my roses now bloom in May and are finished by June, at least 2 weeks earlier than they used to. The orange daylilies always bloomed around July 4, but now they are over by then.

Tender plants like our fig tree, artichokes and rosemary survive through the winter outdoors, something I don't think would have happened 15-20 years ago.

[YankeyMCC]

2. "One of the biggest problems is that species don't adapt to warming at

the same rate..."

That's right it's all connected - Including US! Perhaps particularly us living 'a top' this fragile 'civilization' we've built.

It's like we've built this elaborate castle and insist on taking bits and components out of the foundation and assuming it will a) not matter b) fix itself c) be taken care of by some magical future solution (or to say it another way - let the kids deal with it)

[PADemD]

3. If you think about what the weather was like when you were a kid,

you can see a big difference. Fifty years ago, Pennsylvania had cold weather and lots of snow in November. Now we don't get very cold weather until January-March.