Climate Trivia: Earth’s Green Season
In the Northern Hemisphere, deciduous trees are beginning to come out of their dormant season and unfurl their leaves. Soon, the greys and browns that characterize America’s broadleaf forests during winter will be replaced the by the greens of spring and summer. Over the last four decades, there has been a global trend in the length of the “green” season, or the period between when leaves emerge in the spring and when they turn color and drop in the fall.
Trivia Question: Since 1970, Earth’s “green” seasons have become…
a) longer
b) shorter
The correct answer is a. Earth’s “green” season – the combined average length of both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere green seasons – is now on average 15 days longer than it was in 1970. This trend has been linked to warmer temperatures, milder winters and higher concentrations atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Seasons: Late Winter, Early Spring
Source: Peñuelas, J et al. “Phenology Feedbacks on Climate Change.” Science 324 (2009): 887-888.