Download Tracking Phenological Changes to Plants in Response to Climate Change

Tracking Phenological Changes
in Response to Climate Change
Elena B. Sparrow1 and Jake Weltzin2
1International
Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks
2USA National Phenology Network, Tucson, Arizona
Outline
• Phenology
• Why is tracking phenology important?
• Who monitors phenological events?
- U.S.A. National Phenology Network
- Global Learning and Observations to
Benefit the Environment
“Phenology…is perhaps the simplest process in
which to track changes in the ecology of species
in response to climate change.” (IPCC 2007)
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Easy to observe
Sensitive to environmental variation
Scales from 'leaf to globe'
Linked to most aspects of ecosystems
Timing of
phenological
events is
important to:
• Health
• Recreation
• Agriculture
• Understanding Hazards
• Management of Natural Resources
• Conservation
• Culture
A new data resource—a national network of
integrated phenological observations across
space and time
Key Goal
Understand how plants, animals and landscapes
respond to environmental variation and climate change
www.usanpn.org
Key sponsors and collaborators…
The Great Sunflower Project
USA-NPN in a nutshell
• A national biological science and monitoring program
• Agencies, NGOs, academia, the public
• Standard protocols for plants, animals & landscapes
• Facilitate scaling from 'leaf to globe'
• Integrate with other monitoring networks
• Business to Business and Business to Customer
Information management
National Phenology Network
NCO Information Management System
Data
Contemporary
Legacy
User interface
Data curation
Products
Databases
Search
Synthesis
Partners
Ancillary
Visualizations
Metadata
Work platform
Datasets
Decisionsupport
Education
Research
Partnerships and services
Scientists
Citizen
Scientists
Native
American
Tribes
Specialized
Networks
National
Coordinating Office
Information Management
Monitoring Programs
Communications
Public
Agencies
Educators
NGOs
Resource
Managers
Science and Research
Increasing
Populations & Distributions
Predicting vulnerability,
invasions and distributions
+
0
Decreasing
Change in phenology
Willis et al. 2008 PNAS
Moller et al. 2008 PNAS
Willis et al. 2010 PLOS Biology
Hulme 2010 New Phyt.
Applications and decision-support tools
• Science
• Predictive services
• Health
• Resource mgmt
• Conservation
• Agriculture
• Ecosystem services
• Recreation
Ross Franklin, AP
Steve Ringman, The Seattle Times
Education and
outreach for K-Gray
a project of the USA-NPN
• Go to www.usanpn.org
∙ 253+ plant species
∙ 58+ animal species
∙ Core protocols
Coming soon
• Species on demand
• Abundance reporting
• User profiles
Metadata: method used, effort reporting, condition of site & organism
Core functions
• Develop a national phenology information management
system
• Develop partnerships for implementation
• Facilitate phenology science and research
• Facilitate development of decision support tools
• Conduct and facilitate education and outreach
• Develop a national phenology monitoring system
The
GLOBE
Program
Over 1.5 million students in more than 23,000 schools have
participated in this program that involves more than 100 countries.
A Worldwide Hands-on Environmental Science and Education Program
GLOBE MISSION
• To promote and support students,
teachers and scientists to
collaborate on inquiry-based
investigations of the environment
and the Earth system working in
close partnership with NASA,
NOAA and NSF Earth System
Science Projects (ESSP's)
GLOBE students in primary and secondary schools
throughout the world are involved in environmental
monitoring and studies at or close to their schools.
GLOBE MEASUREMENTS
What makes it SCIENTIFIC Data?


Accuracy
Consistency
PROTOCOLS!
How to measure
When and where to measure
Equipment specifications and
calibration
What makes it VALUABLE Scientific Data?


Persistence
Coverage
Long-Term
Global Data Sets
Inquiry and Science Processes
Inquiry Process and
Science Process
K-12 Teachers
and Students
Learning
Science
Ask Question
Hypothesis
Methodology
Data Collection
Data Reporting
Analysis
Conclusions
Report Results
and Peer Review
Research
Scientists
Generation
of Knowledge
Basic GLOBE Protocols
•Cloud
•Temperature
•Precipitation
•MUC
•Qualitative Land Cover Sampling
•Quantitative Land Cover Sampling
•Manual Mapping
• Budburst
• Green-up/green-down
•Transparency
•Temperature
•pH
•Conductivity
•Salinity
•Field Characterization
•Bulk Density
•pH
•Temperature
•Gravimetric Moisture
Phenology Protocols
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Budburst
Green-Up
Green-Down
Flowering
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Lilac Phenology
Phenological Gardens
Seaweed Reproduction
Phenology
• Arctic Bird Migration
Monitoring
GLOBE Data Process and Flow in Schools
Data
Collection
Data
Recording
Protocols
Data Book
Data
Entry
Computer &
Web
Data
Use
Student
Inquiry
Student inquiry can also start with asking a research question, use
protocols to collect data and answer the question.
Photos courtesy of GLOBE, Alaska GLOBE
GLOBE
• Global Observations to Benefit the
Environment
• http://www.globe.gov/
• >125 schools in Alaska with data
Looking at the Data
Leaf Length (mm)
Green-Up of Betula Papyrifera
Innoko River School, Shageluk, AK, US
Spring, 2005
38
36
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26
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14
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10
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4
2
0
Leaf 1
Leaf 2
Leaf 3
Leaf 4
Bud Swelling
4
5
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Bud Burst
7
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May
10
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14
Publications
• Gazal, R., White, M., Gillies, R., Rodemaker, E.,
Sparrow, E. and Gordon, L. 2008. GLOBE students,
teachers, and scientists demonstrate variable differences
between urban and rural leaf phenology along a multicontinent bioclimatic gradient. Global Change Biology,
14, 1-13, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01602.x.
• Robin, J.H., Dubaya, R., Sparrow, E., and Levine, E.
2007. Monitoring start of season in Alaska with GLOBE,
AVHRR and MODIS data. Journal of Geophysical
Research – Biogeosciences. 113, G01017,
doi:10.1029/2007JG000407.
Phenology Citizen Scientists aid in
Climate Research
• Help identify vulnerabilities
• Help identify mismatches plants/pollinators, predator/prey
• Anticipate Effects on water resources
• Modeling Carbon sequestration
• Timing habitat/land treatments
• Planning for Recreation