A team of scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that while all regions of the country can expect an earlier start to the growing season as temperatures rise, the trend is likely to become more variable year-over-year in hotter regions.
A team of scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that while all regions of the country can expect an earlier start to the growing season as temperatures rise, the trend is likely to become more variable year-over-year in hotter regions.
The researchers examined satellite imagery, air temperature data and phenology (plant life cycle) models for 85 large cities and their surrounding rural areas from 2001 through 2014 to better understand changes in tree leaf emergence, also called budburst, on a broad scale across the United States. The study can help scientists improve their modeling of the potential impacts of future warming.
The results are detailed in an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
In all areas, whether with a cold, medium or hot climate to begin with, tree budburst happened earlier as temperatures trended higher. The analysis found that the link between early budburst and temperature was most pronounced in cities with intense urban heat islands—areas characterized by significantly higher air temperatures vs. adjacent regions.
Read more at DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Photo credit: Bru-nO via Pixabay
