Mapping The Social Significance of Phenologic Changes BRITTANY ORKNEY ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: National Phenology Network Jake Weltzin, Ph.D. Mark Losleben Barron Orr, Ph.D.

PHENOLOGY  The study of the seasonal timing of cyclical life events  National Phenology Network  Monitors changes in natural environment through seasonal timing of events.

CLIMATE CHANGE  2007 Report from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)  Warming of the climate system is unequivocal  CO 2 levels in the atmosphere are increasing NASA Earth Observatory henius_2.html

Phenologic Adaptations  Associated Press coverage by Seth Borenstein –Scientific data revealing earlier spring events in the United States  Identifies pressing issues at hand as current trends stray from historical data

Map of Earlier Spring

Connecting Phenology to Society  Society’s celebration and reliance on phenologic events –Social impacts of changing phenologies

Popular Press Search  Systematic search of popular press on how climate-phenologic change is affecting society. –Searched a number of online databases (i.e., typical Google searches, NewsBank) –Used a variety of keywords (e.g., blooming and warming) –Tracked and recorded search efforts (for repeatability) –Compiled in a simple Excel database (for analysis)

Example: Tree Quality and Baseball Bats  Pa., Mi., Il –Decreasing quality of Ash Wood in the manufacturing of Baseball Bats. –Harming small town economies Source: Balmy Weather May Bench a Baseball Staple. New York Times- July 11, 2007 Image from: bats.com/images/pro ducts/item-wo08- wp243.jpg

Example: Extending Hunting Seasons  Missouri –Hunting seasoned doubled in length –Threat of altered migration route Source: In Duck Blinds, Visions of Global Warming. New York Times- December 11, 2007 Image from: nMapReturnsFall2008.html

Accessible Results  Tabular data are not enough  Public access and understanding is more likely using maps  Creating a Google “My Map” and made publically accessible

Accessible Results

Conclusions  Climate change is happening and affecting phenologic calendars  These changes are impacting society  Bridging the science and society at large

Questions? Special Thanks To: The National Phenology Network Jake Weltzin Mark Losleben