Autumn is now here. The equinox on the 23rd of September signalled
its official arrival. As days grow darker and temperatures fall
then flora and fauna across the region will respond. Trees will
lose their leaves, grass will stop growing and birds will migrate.
But our weather is changing. Everyone agrees on that. Weather
records show how temperatures have risen steadily over the last
100 years. Climate prediction models all suggest that this process
will continue in the coming century. But there is another way
to monitor these climatological changes.
Phenology
An
earlier spring, a sunnier summer, a wetter autumn and a milder
winter all have an effect on our plants and animals. Whilst there
is no evidence to suppose that flora and fauna are able to anticipate
changes in the climate, they certainly respond to it.
Phenology is the study of just how our wildlife responds to these
seasonal environmental and climatic changes.
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Current
observations for Field maple, Leaf fall are plotted live on
the map to the right.
The scale indicates the range of dates, with dots on the map
coloured according to the observation date.
This map is generated live from the data, so new observations
are appearing all the time. The most recent observation is
highlighted with a red circle.
|
| Earliest:
08/09/2003 |
Latest:
03/10/2003 |
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The
flowering of the hazel, the first cuckoo song, the arrival of
the first house martin, the first frog spawn; the first mowing
of the lawn; all of these events in the calendar are dependent
upon weather and climate. But which are main forces driving these
changes in timing?
Temperature
Increases
Temperature
is the key factor. Fluctuations in temperature appear to be mirrored
in changes in natural behaviour. For every degree Celsius rise
in temperature, flowering and leafing occur 6 to 8 days earlier.
With a predicted increase in temperatures of around 3 degrees
Celsius through the rest of the century, the growing season for
many plants could start three weeks earlier.
It
may all sound like good news for our wildlife but it does raise
questions as to whether all species will be able to adapt to climatic
changes quickly enough. Many species rely on other species as
part of the food chain. If this synchrony is disturbed, the effects
on both species could be serious.
Phenology
Network
Phenological
records have been kept for more than 300 years but a new initiative,
jointly run by the Woodland trust and the National Environmental
Research Council is encouraging more people get involved.
The UK Phenology network was set up in 1998 and now has several
thousand active recorders. It is hoped to expand the network and
encourage more people from the county to participate. This, in
turn, will yield vital information about how the natural world
is responding to climate change and the future effects on species.
If you would like take part, or you know of any old historical
phenological records in your family, or even if you would like
to check the likely start times of growing seasons where you live,
then log on to: phenology.org.uk.
Richard Angwin
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