Early warning
Global warming is causing spring to come early and for longer durations
Climate change is disrupting the spring season
CLIMATE CHANGE is triggering the spring season to come earlier and for longer periods. Scientists studied the vernal window—transition period from winter to the growing season— to investigate this. They found that warmer winters with less snow resulted in a longer lag time between spring events and a more protracted vernal window. This change in the spring timetable has ecological, social and economic consequences—for agriculture, fisheries and tourism. As the ice melts earlier, the birds don't return, causing a delay, or lengthening, in springtime ecological events. Global Change Biology, April 2017