Climate Change May Bring Spring Three Weeks Earlier to the United States

If you're worried about winter this year, you shouldn't be too concerned. You may just experience three weeks less of it. Scientists have found that people in the United States can expect for spring to come three weeks earlier over the next century due to climate change.

In this latest study, the researchers applied the extended Spring Indices to predict the rates of leaf and flower emergence based on day length. These general models actually capture the phenology of many plant species.

It turns out that there are particularly rapid shifts in plant phenology in the Pacific Northwest and mountainous regions of the western U.S. There are also smaller shifts in southern areas, where spring already arrives early.

"Our projects show that winter will be shorter-which sounds great for those of us in Wisconsin," said Andrew Allstadt, one of the researchers, in a news release. "But lost distance migratory birds, for example, time their migration based on day length in their winter range. They may arrive in their breeding ground to find that the plant resources that they require are already gone."

The researchers also took a look at "false springs," which is when freezing temperatures return after spring plant growth has begun. This revealed that these events will decrease in most locations. However, a large area of the western Great Plains is projected to see an increase in false springs. This is particularly important to note since false springs can damage plant production.

The findings reveal a bit more about what we may expect during future springs. This is particularly important to note when assessing the state of species, climate and even crop production.

The findings are published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

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