Volunteers Across Nation Track Climate Change via Web

Thousands of volunteers are taking part in a nationwide initiative to track climate change by recording the timing of flowering, leafing, and other plant life cycle events. Now in its second full year, Project BudBurst is successfully amassing observations from students, gardeners, and other citizen scientists in every state to give researchers a detailed picture of our warming climate.

The project is a collaboration by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), the Chicago Botanic Garden, and the University of Montana. UCAR and its partners will announce the results of the first year of observations in March.

"Climate change may be affecting flowers and trees in our own neighborhoods in ways that we don't even notice," says project director Sandra Henderson of UCAR's Office of Education and Outreach. "Project BudBurst is designed to help both adults and children understand the impacts of climate on plants, and to communicate their observations on the Web."

Project BudBurst is funded by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), the National Geographic Education Foundation, and the U.S. Forest Service. The project is also supported by the National Science Foundation and is hosted on Windows to the Universe, a UCAR-based website. Project BudBurst works closely with the USA National Phenology Network.

How the Project Works

Each participant in Project BudBurst selects one or more plants to observe. The project Web site suggests more than 75 widely distributed trees and flowers, with information on each. Users can add their own choices.

Participants begin checking their plants at least a week prior to the average date of budburst--the point when the buds have opened and leaves are visible. After budburst, participants continue to observe the tree or flower for later events, such as the first leaf, first flower and, eventually, seed dispersal. When participants submit their records online, they can view maps of these phenological events across the United States.

"Project BudBurst provides an exciting opportunity for the public, particularly children, to contribute to scientific research on the effects of global climate change on plants," says Kayri Havens, a senior scientist with the Chicago Botanic Garden.

The science of phenology, or tracking cyclic behavior among plants and animals, has a distinguished history. In Japan and China, for example, the blossoming of cherry and peach trees is associated with ancient festivals, some of which extend back more than a thousand years. Cherry trees in Japan now bloom four days earlier than in the 1950s, according to the nation's meteorological agency.

A Warming Trend

Numerous plant and animal species throughout the world are being affected by climate change. Some plants respond to warmer temperatures by extending their growing seasons. Others shift their ranges toward the poles or to higher elevations.

At the same time, many insects breed and disperse based on regular cycles of sunlight rather than temperature. This can cause a mismatch between the behavior of pollinating insects, such as bees, and flowers that bloom earlier than the insects expect. Such asynchronous behavior has already been noted across many parts of the world.

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research is a consortium of 73 universities offering Ph.D.s in the atmospheric and related sciences. UCAR manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) under sponsorship by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

More information on Project Budburst can be found at http://www.budburst.org

Photo: Tulip in Spring copyright University Corporation for Atmospheric Research