Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: thedoc on 04/05/2012 10:05:55

Title: Could we have underestimated climate change?
Post by: thedoc on 04/05/2012 10:05:55
Global warming could cause Spring to arrive earlier in future years.

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Title: Re: Could we have underestimated climate change?
Post by: Nizzle on 07/05/2012 06:13:58
At least here in Belgium we don't have seasons anymore. In 2011 we had summer days that were colder than some winterdays. Spring was summer, summer was autumn, autumn was like spring again, and winter was like autumn again.
Title: Re: Could we have underestimated climate change?
Post by: CliffordK on 07/05/2012 08:00:34
Earlier planting seasons sound like a good thing for agriculture.
Although, perhaps there would be the risk of more early spring temperature & rainfall variability, so that planting would still be hampered somewhat.

Some of the best agriculture in the USA are in the irrigated, very hot regions (otherwise desert).

It has been noted in the Arctic that the maximum sea ice extent has been getting later in the year.
Quote from: http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2012/04/
Over the past thirty years of satellite data, the day of the maximum has varied by over six weeks, occurring as early as mid-February and as late as the end of March. However, even with so much variability, there is a small trend towards later maximum ice extents. This year’s maximum ice extent continued that trend, occurring 12 days later than average.
I do wonder if this later maximum sea ice extent is due to ice still forming in regions that otherwise would be thickening in the winter, while more southerly regions would otherwise have started to melt had the sea ice extent been greater.

One has to keep in mind that all the global warming in the world does not affect the length of day at any particular latitude (which is important both for sea ice as well as planting).