TY - JOUR
T1 - European phenological response to climate change matches the warming pattern
AU - Menzel, Annette
AU - Sparks, Tim H.
AU - Estrella, Nicole
AU - Koch, Elisabeth
AU - Aaasa, Anto
AU - Ahas, Rein
AU - Alm-Kübler, Kerstin
AU - Bissolli, Peter
AU - Braslavská, Ol'ga
AU - Briede, Agrita
AU - Chmielewski, Frank M.
AU - Crepinsek, Zalika
AU - Curnel, Yannick
AU - Dahl, Åslög
AU - Defila, Claudio
AU - Donnelly, Alison
AU - Filella, Yolanda
AU - Jatczak, Katarzyna
AU - Måge, Finn
AU - Mestre, Antonio
AU - Nordli, Øyvind
AU - Peñuelas, Josep
AU - Pirinen, Pentti
AU - Remišová, Viera
AU - Scheifinger, Helfried
AU - Striz, Martin
AU - Susnik, Andreja
AU - Van Vliet, Arnold J.H.
AU - Wielgolaski, Frans Emil
AU - Zach, Susanne
AU - Zust, Ana
PY - 2006/10
Y1 - 2006/10
N2 - Global climate change impacts can already be tracked in many physical and biological systems; in particular, terrestrial ecosystems provide a consistent picture of observed changes. One of the preferred indicators is phenology, the science of natural recurring events, as their recorded dates provide a high-temporal resolution of ongoing changes. Thus, numerous analyses have demonstrated an earlier onset of spring events for mid and higher latitudes and a lengthening of the growing season. However, published single-site or single-species studies are particularly open to suspicion of being biased towards predominantly reporting climate change-induced impacts. No comprehensive study or meta-analysis has so far examined the possible lack of evidence for changes or shifts at sites where no temperature change is observed. We used an enormous systematic phenological network data set of more than 125000 observational series of 542 plant and 19 animal species in 21 European countries (1971-2000). Our results showed that 78% of all leafing, flowering and fruiting records advanced (30% significantly) and only 3% were significantly delayed, whereas the signal of leaf colouring/fall is ambiguous. We conclude that previously published results of phenological changes were not biased by reporting or publication predisposition: the average advance of spring/summer was 2.5 days decade-1 in Europe. Our analysis of 254 mean national time series undoubtedly demonstrates that species' phenology is responsive to temperature of the preceding months (mean advance of spring/summer by 2.5 days °C-1, delay of leaf colouring and fall by 1.0 day °C-1). The pattern of observed change in spring efficiently matches measured national warming across 19 European countries (correlation coefficient r = -0.69, P < 0.001).
AB - Global climate change impacts can already be tracked in many physical and biological systems; in particular, terrestrial ecosystems provide a consistent picture of observed changes. One of the preferred indicators is phenology, the science of natural recurring events, as their recorded dates provide a high-temporal resolution of ongoing changes. Thus, numerous analyses have demonstrated an earlier onset of spring events for mid and higher latitudes and a lengthening of the growing season. However, published single-site or single-species studies are particularly open to suspicion of being biased towards predominantly reporting climate change-induced impacts. No comprehensive study or meta-analysis has so far examined the possible lack of evidence for changes or shifts at sites where no temperature change is observed. We used an enormous systematic phenological network data set of more than 125000 observational series of 542 plant and 19 animal species in 21 European countries (1971-2000). Our results showed that 78% of all leafing, flowering and fruiting records advanced (30% significantly) and only 3% were significantly delayed, whereas the signal of leaf colouring/fall is ambiguous. We conclude that previously published results of phenological changes were not biased by reporting or publication predisposition: the average advance of spring/summer was 2.5 days decade-1 in Europe. Our analysis of 254 mean national time series undoubtedly demonstrates that species' phenology is responsive to temperature of the preceding months (mean advance of spring/summer by 2.5 days °C-1, delay of leaf colouring and fall by 1.0 day °C-1). The pattern of observed change in spring efficiently matches measured national warming across 19 European countries (correlation coefficient r = -0.69, P < 0.001).
KW - Climate change
KW - Europe
KW - Growing season
KW - Meta analysis
KW - Phenology
KW - Season
KW - Temperature response
KW - Trend
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33748639676&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01193.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01193.x
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:33748639676
SN - 1354-1013
VL - 12
SP - 1969
EP - 1976
JO - Global Change Biology
JF - Global Change Biology
IS - 10
ER -