An indicator for environmental goals. An indicator for environmental goals. Phenology may relate to the time the first liverwort comes into flower. Phenological data concerning changes in nature may, it is hoped, be of practical help for the authorities on regional and national level. The Swedish phenology network already extends over the EU and the Nordic countries, where Finland, in particular, has a long tradition of phenological observations. Photographer: Per-Erik Larsson, SLU
An indicator for environmental goals. Phenology may relate to the time the first liverwort comes into flower. Phenological data concerning changes in nature may, it is hoped, be of practical help for the authorities on regional and national level. The Swedish phenology network already extends over the EU and the Nordic countries, where Finland, in particular, has a long tradition of phenological observations. Photographer: Per-Erik Larsson, SLU
The phenology network is a result of the symposium Campaign for Phenology in Sweden which was held in 2008 with the support of Formas. In January 2010 the network arranged a workshop, also supported by Formas, for interested organisatons which will be members of a professional reporting network. The workshop was the starting signal for standardised observations which will be primarily used by the professional observation network, but also by volunteer reporters who will join this standard.
The aim of the network is to create a nationwide phenology database that can be used for remote analysis, nature conservancy, forestry and agriculture and the health sector, the latter with regard to information on when the pollen season begins. A key motive for the work is the question of how a changed climate affects the annual cycles of plants and animals and events coupled with these.
Phenology observers
A campaign is now in progress before the season in 2010 in which volunteer phenology observers are enlisted to conform to the instructions for phenology observations that were formulated during the workshop. Recruitment is carried out mainly among the weather observers of the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, botanical associations and other nonprofit organisations interested in nature. These observers are important for creating the geographical coverage over the whole country which is desirable for this type of data, without having to sacrifice quality.
The work on making historical observations accessible has also begun. In 1873 a similar national phenology network was initiated which collected phenological reports concerning around 50 plants and 25 animals from more than 300 sites in the country. Reports on a major scale were submitted over a 50 year period. These data are obviously of very great interest for use as a point of reference concerning conditions at present, and to discern the effects of a changed climate which are of such great interest just now. The Swedish phenology network has therefore started work by digitalising this material, some of which has already been compiled on www.blommar.nu.
Author
:
Ola Langvall
Asa science park and field research station, SLU, 360 30 Lammhult