According to the USA-NPN's Spring Indices, spring is arriving 20 days earlier than a long-term average (1981-2010) in much of the Southeastern US. The Extended Spring Indices are models that predict the onset of early spring plants across the United States. You can see these maps as well as maps of Accumulated Growing Degree Days (AGDD) on the USA-NPN's Phenology Visualization Tool. You can also find out how these predictions compare to those of weather forecasting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil in article in the Washington Post and Weather.com
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The USA-NPN, phenology, and our partners are often in the news. Follow some recent stories below.
Image credit:
Sara N. Schaffer
News
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Spring is arriving early in the Southeastern USThursday, February 2, 2017
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USA-NPN Executive Director Jake Weltzin presents at National Academies of Sciences MeetingWednesday, November 30, 2016
USA-NPN Executive Director Jake Weltzin presented at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Meeting that took place in Irvine, CA from November 29-30, 2016. Jake showcased the USA-NPN's suite of phenology maps that were made available in Spring of 2016.
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NEW STUDY SHOWS SPRING IS HAPPENING EARLIER IN THREE OF EVERY FOUR NATIONAL PARKSThursday, October 6, 2016
The USA-NPN is part of a new study published in Ecosphere that shows spring is advancing in 75% of 276 National Parks studied. This shift is "extreme" in half of the Parks. The study used the Spring Indices, an index of spring developed by the USA-NPN and its partners to compare the recent timing of spring onset (past 10-30 years) to a historical range of variability (1901-2012). Learn more about what this study means for National Parks.
Secretary Jewell announced the study on October 6th, 2016 at Shenandoah National Park.
An Arizona-focused article appeared in UANews on October 6, 2016, discussing what the study might mean for Arizona Parks.
Visit the National Park Service landing page for more information, and read the Resource Brief put out by the National Park Service. Park-specific briefs will be forthcoming.
The study is also highlighted in these popular media outlets:
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USA-NPN'S NATURE'S NOTEBOOK HIGHLIGHTED ON YALE CLIMATE CONNECTIONSWednesday, September 7, 2016
USA-NPN's Nature's Notebook program was recently highlighted by the Yale Center for Environmental Communication's Climate Connections podcast. Listen to the short segment, in which USA-NPN's Theresa Crimmins talks about how participants have been tracking changes in phenology.
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Explore new phenology maps on the USA-NPN Visualization ToolMonday, May 9, 2016
You can now explore the USA-NPN's maps of accumulated temperature and start of spring in the Phenology Visualization Tool. See how much heat has accumulated in particular regions of the US, find out how this year's spring stacks up to previous years, and see how Nature's Notebook data compare to the date of first leaf or first bloom as estimated using the Extended Spring Indices. Learn more about these new maps or see them on the Visualization Tool.