• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to footer
Geographical

Geographical

  • Geographical Magazine home
  • Science & Environment
  • Climate
  • Wildlife
  • Culture
  • Geopolitics
  • Podcasts
  • Study Geography
    • University directory
    • Course guides
      • Climate change
      • Environmental science
      • Human geography
      • Physical geography
    • Top universities
    • Geography careers
      • Charity/non-profit
      • Education & research
      • Environment
      • Finance & consulting
      • Government
    • Applications and advice

As the world warms, the seasons are shifting

7 May 2021
3 minutes

Rhododendrons emerge for springtime

Climate change is bringing earlier, dangerous ‘false springs’, longer summers and shorter winters as the world warms


By Jacob Dykes

In the UK, it’s often difficult to feel too worried about a longer summer. Although recently, perhaps, they’ve come with a disquieting feeling – a sense that something is amiss. Now, a new study by researchers at the University of Chinese Academy Sciences in Beijing has confirmed it. As the world has warmed, the seasons have shifted, bringing longer, hotter summers, shorter winters and more frequent and damaging ‘false springs’.

The researchers utilised historical daily climate data from 1952 to 2011 to produce the study, which has been published in Geophysical Research Letters. They found that, on average, global summers have elongated from 78 days in 1952 to 95 days in 2011. At the same time, on average, spring has contracted from 124 to 115 days; autumn from 87 to 76 days; and winter from 76 to 73 days.

Shifting seasons are directly linked to warmer global temperatures: a slight change in temperature brings an earlier spring thaw and delays the first frost until later in autumn. The researchers also found that average seasonal temperatures have increased: summers have heated at a rate of 0.089°C per decade and winter by 0.26°C per decade.

Anthropogenic alterations to seasonal cycles have consequences. Colder and earlier springs pose a greater risk of ‘false springs’, which cause plants to emerge prematurely from dormancy. In 2012, North America recorded its earliest spring ever; buds burst and leaves emerged, but plants were then exposed to subsequent frosts. Damage to fruit and vegetable crops in Michigan alone totalled half a billion US dollars. Another false spring occurred in the southeastern USA in 2007, causing US$2 billion in agricultural losses.

‘False springs are becoming more common with anthropogenic change to the seasons; this is also a huge problem in China,’ says the study’s lead author, Yuping Guan. One 2019 study demonstrated that false springs have increased in frequency in recent decades in China. The authors predicted that, under a ‘business as usual’ scenario in which emissions remain high, spring blooms will appear 23 days earlier by 2100.

Asian cherry blossoms are beginning to emerge earlier as the climate warms. New research reveals that this year was the earliest emergence of China’s cherry blossoms since records began 1,200 years ago

‘Studies have shown that changing seasons bring environmental risks,’ says Guan. Birds, he says, often time their migrations and breeding cycles to coincide with the emergence of plants as food sources. The mismatch can shorten time windows for migration and breeding. Arctic seabirds, for example, have shown shorter breeding cycles over the past 35 years.

The findings allowed the team to make predictions about how the seasons will continue to change as the climate warms. As the temperature rises, the team predicts that spring and summer will arrive 3.3 days and 4.6 days earlier per decade, respectively. ‘As a result,’ they say, ‘there is good potential for a 166-day summer and 31-day winter by 2100.’ The findings corroborate earlier warnings: in 2015, a team of researchers predicted that spring will be, on average, 23 days earlier in the western USA and Great Plains by 2100.

Stay connected with the Geographical newsletter!

In these turbulent times, we’re committed to telling expansive stories from across the globe, highlighting the everyday lives of normal but extraordinary people. Stay informed and engaged with Geographical.

Get Geographical’s latest news delivered straight to your inbox every Friday!

Guan and his team point to the fact that policy-making for the agricultural, ecological and environmental sectors will be impacted by this adjustment of the seasonal clock: ‘Seasonal-related topics involving ecology, the ocean and the atmosphere may need to be revisited because seasons are the basic time parameter for a wide range of natural phenomena.’

predicted seasonal clock in 2100
A schematic of the seasonal clock in 2100, as predicted by Guan Y, et al 2021. Image: Tingjin Guan, Source
Subscribe to our monthly print magazine!

Subscribe to Geographical today for just £38 a year. Our monthly print magazine is packed full of cutting-edge stories and stunning photography, perfect for anyone fascinated by the world, its landscapes, people and cultures. From climate change and the environment, to scientific developments and global health, we cover a huge range of topics that span the globe. Plus, every issue includes book recommendations, infographics, maps and more!

  • About
  • Latest Posts
Jacob Dykes
Jacob Dykes
Staff writer Jacob Dykes has been writing for Geographical since 2020, satisfying his curiosity for our planet, the forces that shape it, and the ways our home is changing
Jacob Dykes
Latest posts by Jacob Dykes (see all)
  • Attempts to clean New Delhi’s air are failing without a radical change in energy policy - 6 May 2022
  • Where will the Taliban’s refugee exodus go? - 28 April 2022
  • Rewilding projects are widening European carnivore ranges - 7 January 2022
Subscribe to our monthly print magazine!

Subscribe to Geographical today from just £3.40 per month. Our monthly print magazine is packed full of cutting-edge stories and stunning photography, perfect for anyone fascinated by the world, its landscapes, people and cultures. From climate change and the environment, to scientific developments and global health, we cover a huge range of topics that span the globe. Plus, every issue includes book recommendations, infographics, maps and more!

Filed Under: Climate Change Tagged With: Global Warming

Related articles

Air pollution: the UK’s silent killer

Air pollution: the UK’s silent killer

Taking the heat: Can Qatar survive climate change?

Taking the heat: Can Qatar survive climate change?

Fossil-fuel companies knew about climate change as consumption soared

Fossil-fuel companies knew about climate change as consumption soared

Jennifer Uchendu on founding Eco-Anxiety Africa

Jennifer Uchendu on founding Eco-Anxiety Africa

UN move to end plastic pollution is welcome – now what about biodiversity and climate change?

UN move to end plastic pollution is welcome – now what about biodiversity and climate change?

The inventive intelligence of crows needed to survive a changing world

The inventive intelligence of crows needed to survive a changing world

  • About
  • Latest Posts
Jacob Dykes
Jacob Dykes
Staff writer Jacob Dykes has been writing for Geographical since 2020, satisfying his curiosity for our planet, the forces that shape it, and the ways our home is changing
Jacob Dykes
Latest posts by Jacob Dykes (see all)
  • Attempts to clean New Delhi’s air are failing without a radical change in energy policy - 6 May 2022
  • Where will the Taliban’s refugee exodus go? - 28 April 2022
  • Rewilding projects are widening European carnivore ranges - 7 January 2022
Subscribe to our monthly print magazine!

Subscribe to Geographical today from just £3.40 per month. Our monthly print magazine is packed full of cutting-edge stories and stunning photography, perfect for anyone fascinated by the world, its landscapes, people and cultures. From climate change and the environment, to scientific developments and global health, we cover a huge range of topics that span the globe. Plus, every issue includes book recommendations, infographics, maps and more!

Footer

Geographical print magazine cover

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Published in the UK since 1935, Geographical is the official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

Informative, authoritative and educational, this site’s content covers a wide range of subject areas, including geography, culture, wildlife and exploration, illustrated with superb photography.

Click Here for SUBSCRIPTION details

Want to access Geographical on your tablet or smartphone? Press the Apple, Android or PC/Mac image below to download the app for your device

Footer Apple Footer Android Footer Mac-PC

More from Geographical

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Copyright © 2022 · Site by Syon Media