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Spring is Starting Earlier: How Does
This Seasonal Shift Affect Plants and Animals?
To counter those who deny and distort climate
science, UCS has launched a major initiative to
refocus America's attention on the impacts of
climate change and the urgent need to rein in global
warming pollution. Today, we bring you one
in a series of stories about climate
science by climate scientists:
Spring is Starting Earlier: How Does This Seasonal
Shift Affect Plants and Animals?
Global warming is causing spring to arrive
earlier—how will this affect the American
pika?
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Spring has fully arrived in most parts of the United
States. But did you know that spring arrives
distinctly earlier than it did 40 years ago? This
earlier onset of spring has been directly linked to
human-induced climate change.
While a premature spring is embraced by most people,
it can be a mismatch for animals.
Perhaps one animal species most vulnerable to
climate change is the American pika, a rabbit-like
animal that lives in western alpine mountain regions
on talus, or broken rock, habitat. When exposed to
even slight warming—temperatures of 77 degrees
Fahrenheit for six hours—pika will die.
Read more …
This article is part of a major UCS initiative—built
on our long history—to strengthen the communication
of climate science to the American public. UCS
depends on the financial support of people like you
to make this work possible.
Please become a member today.
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