HR: 0800h
AN: B51A-0054 [Abstracts]
TI: Historical Phenological Observations: Past Climate Impact Analyses and Climate Reconstructions
AU: * Rutishauser, T
EM: rutis@giub.unibe.ch
AF: Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 12, Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: * Rutishauser, T
EM: rutis@giub.unibe.ch
AF: NCCR-Climate, University of Bern, Erlachstrasse 6a, Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: Luterbacher, J
EM: juerg@giub.unibe.ch
AF: Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 12, Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: Luterbacher, J
EM: juerg@giub.unibe.ch
AF: NCCR-Climate, University of Bern, Erlachstrasse 6a, Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: Luterbacher, J
EM: juerg@giub.unibe.ch
AF: Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4,
Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: Meier, N
EM: meier@giub.unibe.ch
AF: Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 12, Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: Meier, N
EM: meier@giub.unibe.ch
AF: NCCR-Climate, University of Bern, Erlachstrasse 6a, Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: Jeanneret, F
EM: jeann@giub.unibe.ch
AF: Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 12, Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: Pfister, C
EM: pfister@hist.unibe.ch
AF: NCCR-Climate, University of Bern, Erlachstrasse 6a, Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: Pfister, C
EM: pfister@hist.unibe.ch
AF: Institute of History, University of Bern, Lerchenweg, Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: Pfister, C
EM: pfister@hist.unibe.ch
AF: Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4,
Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: Wanner, H
EM: wanner@giub.unibe.ch
AF: Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 12, Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: Wanner, H
EM: wanner@giub.unibe.ch
AF: NCCR-Climate, University of Bern, Erlachstrasse 6a, Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AU: Wanner, H
EM: wanner@giub.unibe.ch
AF: Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4,
Bern, 3012, Swaziland
AB:
Plant phenological observations have been found an important indicator of climate change impacts on seasonal
and interannual vegetation development for the late 20th/early 21st century. Our contribution contains three parts
that are essential for the understanding (part 1), the analysis (part 2) and the application (part 3) of historical
phenological observations in global change research.
First, we propose a definition for historical phenonolgy (Rutishauser, 2007). We shortly portray the first
appearance of phenological observations in Medieval philosophical and literature sources, the usage and
application of this method in the Age of Enlightenment (Carl von Linné, Charles Morren), as well as the
development in the 20th century (Schnelle, Lieth) to present-day networks (COST725, USA-NPN)
Second, we introduce a methodological approach to estimate 'Statistical plants' from historical phenological
observations (Rutishauser et al., JGR-Biogeoscience, in press). We combine spatial averaging methods and
regression transfer modeling to estimate 'statistical plant' dates from historical observations that often contain
gaps, changing observers and changing locations. We apply the concept to reconstruct a statistical 'Spring plant'
as the weighted mean of the flowering date of cherry and apple tree and beech budburst of Switzerland 1702-
2005. Including dating total data uncertainty we estimate 10 at interannual and 3.4 days at decadal time scales.
Third, we apply two long-term phenological records to describe plant phenological response to spring
temperature and reconstruct warm-season temperatures from grape harvest dates (Rutishauser et al, submitted;
Meier et al, GRL, in press).
UR: http://www.giub.unibe.ch/~rutis/index.html
DE: 0426 Biosphere/atmosphere interactions (0315)
DE: 0429 Climate dynamics (1620)
DE: 3305 Climate change and variability (1616, 1635, 3309, 4215, 4513)
DE: 3309 Climatology (1616, 1620, 3305, 4215, 8408)
DE: 3322 Land/atmosphere interactions (1218, 1631, 1843)
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting