Parks Use Phenology to Improve Management and Communicate Climate Change
Miller-Rushing A, Evenden A, Gross J, Mitchell B, Sachs S. 2011. Parks Use Phenology to Improve Management and Communicate Climate Change. Park Science. 28(2):65-71
Article on the recently use of Phenology testing to improve management understanding and the communication of climate change. Climate change presents the dual challenges of (1) understanding its effects andhow to manage them and (2) commmunicating climage change science to promote understanding and action. Here we describe one approach to addressing those challenges: studying climate-driven changes in phenology- the timing of seasonlal biological events, such as flowering and migrations. Phenology is critical to people and the functioning of ecosystems, and it is changing wherever climate is changing. Thus it provides information for managers and local examples of effects of climate change that are relevant to park visitors and the communities surrounding parks. Parks, Research Learning Centers, Inventory and Monitoring Networks, and COoperative Ecosystem Studies Units across the country are piloting methods, such as citizen science and remote sensing, for monitoring phenology and using the results to inform science, management, and eduction. These activities are gaining momentum and are pioised to make significant contributions to our understanding of the efects of climate change and how best to communicte climate change science to the public.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Miller-Rushing, Abraham; Evenden, Angela; Gross, John; Mitchell, Brian; Sachs, Susan
- Units
- NETN
- Keywords
- citizen science, Climate Change, Cooperative Ecosystem Sutdies Units, inventory and monitoring networks, phenology monitoring, Research Learning Centers, x#journalArticle, x#NETN, x#outreach, x#phenology