PHENOLOGY IS the observation and recording
of natural events, such as the first
leaf on a tree, the first frog spawn laid or
the first swallow seen. Phenology can be
used as a measurement of the impact of
climate change.

With rising temperatures spring comes
earlier. Many species are very sensitive to
temperature changes, but others are less
so. If a tree comes into leaf a week earlier,
that tree may have longer to photosynthesise
and store food, but what about
the plants living under the tree? Will they
have time to flower and pollinate before
the leaf cover blocks out their light?

Scientists have found that in the Northern
Hemisphere,temperature-sensitive
creatures have to move 150 kilometres
North for every degree the average
temperature rises. This has its limits of
course for Island creatures such as ours.

Also, living on top of the world, the polar
bear has nowhere to run to from rising
temperatures.

Check out: http://www.biology.ie for information
on observing the Irish Spring.