Many people are familiar with Thoreau's Walden. What is less well known is the citizen science Thoreau carried out. Among other activities, he kept tables recording the annual flowering dates for more than 300 plants found in the vicinity. In doing so, he was following the example of numerous naturalists in an era when anyone with a keen eye for observation and the ability to keep good records could contribute to a growing understanding of the natural world; a degree in science was not a prerequisite.
And those kinds of observations are no less vital today. Biology Professor Richard B. Primack of Boston University decided to move on from 21 years of studying tropical rain forests for work closer to home. The result is Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau's Woods. A review in New Scientist looks at how it unfolded.
The book tells the story of Primack's struggle to replicate Thoreau and find changes in flowering times, but soon broadens into a hymn to citizen science. Primack finds many others who are not conventional scientists but keep careful records of myriad things, from the times that migratory birds arrive to the date butterflies emerge and ice melts on ponds. It is these extraordinary people who make the book a rich, rewarding read And there is also the inspiring message that anyone with a keen eye for nature can make a difference, with an afterword on how to become a citizen scientist.
With many shoulders to stand on, signs of local climate change emerge. For example, for every degree Fahrenheit (0.56 °C) the temperature rises in Massachusetts, plants flower on average 1.7 days earlier – at least the lucky ones do.
Since Thoreau's day, the abundance and numbers of the plants he recorded have changed: some have disappeared completely, others are less commonly found. Plants that can't adapt to shifting temperatures don't survive - with cascading effects throughout the rest of the biome as well. As
the summary here notes:
...Under the attentive eyes of Primack, the notes that Thoreau made years ago are transformed from charming observations into scientific data sets. Primack finds that many wildflower species that Thoreau observed—including familiar groups such as irises, asters, and lilies—have declined in abundance or have disappeared from Concord. Primack also describes how warming temperatures have altered other aspects of Thoreau’s Concord, from the dates when ice departs from Walden Pond in late winter, to the arrival of birds in the spring, to the populations of fish, salamanders, and butterflies that live in the woodlands, river meadows, and ponds.
For many people, the problem they have grasping the idea of Climate Change is that it has been happening over a time scale that most people are not equipped to easily comprehend. Superstorms, megafloods, etc. make the news, but it is the small things over years that show what's happening on a more subtle scale. When red-winged blackbirds first arrive to stake out territories; when trees begin to bud and dump pollen into the air; when turtles emerge from the water to begin sunning themselves; when spring peepers begin filling the night with their chorus - as these shift and change, they are markers of what's happening to the climate.
Tracking these kinds of changes are an activity anyone can do - it just takes a willingness to pay attention and make consistent records. It would be a great long-running science project for an elementary school for example, just to track the natural events around the school over time.
One example that has been going on for a number of years now is the Hudson River Almanac, a series of observations contributed by individuals up and down the Hudson River Valley, and collected by the N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation. As the web page notes:
Over time, the Almanac may serve as a comprehensive program to document changes in the ecosystem. Often, information about obscure animals and subtle changes can come only through direct observations made in many places over long periods of time. By compiling records from volunteers who observe nature as scientists or simply for their own pleasure, the Almanac builds a data base that can be used to guide future studies of Hudson Valley ecology.
A weekly summary is available by email.
The Almanac is compiled weekly. Share your observations with other Hudson River lovers by e-mailing them to trlake7@aol.com by 9:00 pm on the Monday previous to publication. See something really special? Give us a call at (845)297-8935. The Hudson River E-Almanac is compiled and edited by Tom Lake and e-mailed weekly by the Hudson River Estuary Program of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. To sign up to receive the E-Almanac, send an email message to hrep@gw.dec.state.ny.us and write E-Almanac in the subject line.
Chances are, wherever you live, someone is keeping comparable records- and if not, you could become that person. Climate Change denialistas demand proof that it's happening. Well, that proof just might be right underfoot. Climate change isn't just about melting glaciers or hot summers; it's happening all around us if we know where to look and have been paying attention.