The Early Bird Gets Confused

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Early-springing spring is a climatic consequence

Posted at 3:28 PM on 20 Mar 2008

You may have gone to bed last night in one season and woken up in another, as spring officially began at 1:48 a.m. EDT Thursday. (Yes, apparently "they" know the exact time.) We kind of feel like its about damn time the sun came out, but in fact trees are blossoming and birds are singing earlier than ever, say biologists -- and that's not ideal. Among the consequences of a climate-change-caused early spring: a longer allergy season, longer wildfire season, and disoriented flora and fauna.

source: Associated Press

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Comments: (6 comments)

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March Madness

It would be OK, I guess, if all the flora and fauna started coming back to life, or started partying, or whatever, together, as they used to. But the disorientation seems to affect some worse than others; some are waking up unusually early, while others are still more or less on the old schedule.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 8:13 AM on 21 Mar 2008

March Madness!

I would like to agree with your story, but I am sitting in my office in Spokane and it is snowing outside. Not a little dusting that doesn't stick, but a couple inches and it isn't stopping!! For those that don't live in snow, you might think it is nice .... but it is spring! Where is the rain? Talk about confused, we have crocus and tulips that are freezing out there! Not to mention I took the snow tires off for the season....

by khapke at 9:56 AM on 21 Mar 2008

It is springtime if Florida, and it is nice

Maybe an extended growing season means that trees will have spend more time growing and less time in dormancy and sequester more carbon.

by ecomike at 10:58 AM on 21 Mar 2008

Welcome

Welcome to the brave new world and get used to it.It does not seem that government leaders and "Big Business"believe that there is global warming.They don't seem too concerned because they/we aren't doing enough,fast enough to make the changes that are necessary to alleviate global warming.Yes,I said alleviate,because we can not stop all of the effects.We can only make them less damaging.The longer that we wait the more severe those damages will be.

Why not ask why!?

by usandthem at 11:07 AM on 21 Mar 2008

Early spring?

Well today is the second day of spring. just got 5 inches of heavy snow here in Illinois just north of Chicago. Seems this was a winter like when I was a kid. the last 8 winters or so have been warm and lacking of snow.
This winter has however made up for that and it is showing no signs of leaving. Yep a little more than a week until opening day at Wrigley Field and we just got a bunch of snow. 58 inches in winter. this is not including the late fall snows and todays spring snowstorm.
I am wondering if the currents in the oceans have slowed a bit due to all the fresh water from the melting ice caps. Could this be the beginning signs of an emerging ICE AGE? Could very well be.
Mother Earth will take care of herself no matter what it does to the inhabitants of the planet.
If those currents stop, watch out! Instant ICE AGE!

by petertauch at 6:21 PM on 21 Mar 2008

Understanding Climate Change

Re posters commenting about the weather where they live: Global climate change is about CLIMATE, not weather. At any given time it can, and usually will, be warmer or colder than normal, with more or less precipitation. While the climate effects the weather, they are not the same thing. The FACT is that the Earth has been warming due to unnatural human emissions and human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly CO2.

by Wolverine at 9:23 AM on 23 Mar 2008

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