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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Agroecosystems Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #365534
Research Project: Sustainable and Resilient Cropping Systems for Midwestern Landscapes

Location: Agroecosystems Management Research

Title: Need for false spring research in the Northern Great Plains, USA

Author
item KRAL-O'BRIEN, KATHERINE - North Dakota State University
item O'Brien, Peter
item HARMON, JASON - North Dakota State University

Submitted to: Agricultural & Environmental Letters
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/4/2019
Publication Date: 9/12/2019
Citation: Kral-O'Brien, K., O'Brien, P.L., Harmon, J. 2019. Need for false spring research in the Northern Great Plains, USA. Agricultural and Environmental Letters. 4(1):190024. https://doi.org/10.2134/ael2019.07.0024.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/ael2019.07.0024

Interpretive Summary: Global climate change affects weather patterns differently across space and time. While most discussion around climate change focuses on long-term trends of warming average temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, extreme weather events, and short-term events may also have important consequences. For example, volatile temperature shifts early in the growing season can lead to a false spring event. False springs occur when extended periods of warm temperatures in early spring release plants from dormancy earlier than normal, making them especially vulnerable to frost events later in the spring. The damage to vegetation can have extreme environmental and economic consequences, but very little research has been conducted to investigate the nature, extent, and impacts of false springs. We review the existing literature pertaining to both the impacts of false springs and predictions of future occurrences. We highlight knowledge gaps and propose avenues for future research, specifically focusing on a region that is predicted to have more frequent false springs, the Northern Great Plains, USA. Expanding false spring research in this region will help land managers in both cropland and natural systems adapt to the changing conditions associated with these volatile temperature shifts.

Technical Abstract: Global climate change is typically characterized by warming average temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events. An understudied component of climate change is the occurrence of false springs, where warm temperatures in early spring prematurely release plants from dormancy, only to be harmed by a late spring frost event. Only limited research has investigated the nature, extent, and impacts of false springs, despite their potential for extreme environmental and economic consequences. More resources should be devoted to false spring research because they are predicted to increase in several regions, especially the Northern Great Plains. We review the existing literature on false springs and identify knowledge gaps in both cropland and natural systems. Further, we propose avenues of research, focusing on ecosystems of the Northern Great Plains. This research will be crucial in creating strategies that allow land managers to adapt to changing conditions caused by more frequent false springs.