| April 5, 1:30 p.m., CC Jarrell/Walburg, Atmospheric Sciences SIG - Jon Zeitler of the National Weather Service will give a presentation on phenology on April 5 at 1:30 pm in the Jarrell/Walburg room, Cowan Creek Amenities Center. Phenology is nature’s calendar. Phenology is a key component of life on earth. Many interactions in nature depend on timing. Phenology affects nearly all aspects of the environment, including the abundance, distribution, and diversity of organisms, ecosystem services, food webs, and the global cycles of water and carbon. For example, many birds time their nesting so eggs hatch when insects are available to feed nestlings. In turn, insect emergence is often synchronized with leafing out in their host plants. Changes in phenological events like flowering and bird migrations are among the most sensitive biological responses to climate change. Phenology plays an important role in human culture, as well. Festivals around the world celebrate annual phenological events from whale migrations to cherry blossoms. Gail Abend, Atmospheric Sciences SIG leader |
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