Missouri Botanical Garden Open Conference Systems, TDWG 2013 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

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Crowd sourcing climate change research
Elizabeth Ellwood, Richard Primack, Peter Everill, Jane Marsching, Matthew Shanley

Building: Grand Hotel Mediterraneo
Room: Sala dei Continenti
Date: 2013-10-29 11:50 AM – 12:00 PM
Last modified: 2013-10-05

Abstract


Phenology, the timing of cyclical events in the lives of organisms, is often sensitive to environmental conditions and has therefore proven useful in climate change research. Large quantities of both historic and contemporary phenological observations are necessary to understand the effects of climate change on organisms yet the temporal, geographic and taxonomic scales of these records are limited. In the research presented here from the New England Leaf Out Project we develop a novel approach to compiling long-term data of when plants leaf out in the spring in the northeastern United States. Leaf out signals the start of the growing season and is therefore an essential consideration in ecosystem studies. The historical component of our methodology utilizes over 1,500 herbarium specimens of plants exhibiting leaf out from across the region from as far back as 1834. Data gathered from herbarium specimens were fundamental to our understanding of leaf out phenology before the influence of local urbanization and global warming. These data are complemented by modern-day satellite images of the vegetated landscape as well as by a growing network of citizen scientists who are participating by providing their records of when they observe leaf out in their town.

Citizen scientists are a critical element of this research. They enable us to vicariously observe leaf out over the region, where we would otherwise be limited to the greater Boston metropolitan area. We recruited individuals through word of mouth, environmental organizations, ecological listservs, and educational outlets. Those that responded to our announcement ranged from amateurs entirely new to phenology to highly skilled naturalists, young students and retired forestry professors. Recognizing this, we created a web site that was focused, intuitive, user-friendly and informative where each observer could easily upload his or her observations. We interacted with our network of observers in the months leading up to leaf out in the early spring, emphasizing the fact that they were directly contributing to climate change research. The first year of the project was quite successful. Observers uploaded hundreds of observations that we will be able to use in our ongoing investigation of leaf out. This strategy had the additional benefit of providing education and outreach opportunities with those involved, an important part of climate change research. We were able to share our knowledge of local climate change with participants, teachers introduced their students to phenology and brought this research into their classrooms, and the community of individuals observing phenology in their backyards is expanding. The observation records remain publically available on our website, allowing for continued use.

Long-term data is the backbone of phenological research. Readily available herbarium specimens and observations made by citizen scientists enable us to research how climate change is impacting local plant communities and how plant phenology has changed since the Industrial Revolution. Investing in maintaining and growing strong communities of citizen scientists will ensure that this research continues.