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Seasons Were Moved Two Days Ahead of Schedule

So were the coldest and the hottest days of the year

Jan 22, 2009 11:08 GMT  ·  By
A shift in the timing of seasons may have major implications for agriculture
   A shift in the timing of seasons may have major implications for agriculture

Researchers at the University of California in Berkeley announced on Wednesday that spring will be arriving two days earlier this year, as will all seasons, for that matter. They say that this is a part of the global trend, which has seen all seasons moving ahead two days in the calendar, for no apparent reason. Some say that this is due to global warming, as the situation is similar to that experienced by animals, which have moved their breeding seasons a week ahead of the usual, in order for their cubs to come out at the same time as those of the prey.

Nature experts are sure that there will be consequences for this delay in schedule, but, as of now, they have no idea what these effects might be, or if they will be good or bad. "All of the seasons are coming earlier. They are both hotter and they are earlier," Alexander Stine from UC has told Reuters over the phone. He has added that the trend is not limited to the US, but that it can be observed in countries around the world.

His team has been engaged in studying 100 year-old weather archives for quite some time now, and they say that, historically-speaking, the trend is obviously there. "There are certain things that we expect from global warming, and there are certain things that we don't," he explains, when talking about the fact that none of the existing climate change models, even the most up-to-date ones, foresee a scenario in which seasons are moved forwards or backwards in time.

"You expect that, say, the ice is going to melt a little earlier, and you expect the ice is going to form a little bit later in the year. But what you don't expect to see is for the hottest day of the year to be earlier. If the way the Earth is responding to the sun is changing, we'd like to know that. There is a concern that we may be missing some important processes," Stine states.

The researcher and his team fear that Earth has "lost something" over the years, something that used to help it regulate the flow of heat and warmth on its surface. "The land is putting up less resistance to what the sun is telling it to do," Stine concludes.