Swiss Spring 300 Year Phenological Index Reconstruction ----------------------------------------------------------------------- World Data Center for Paleoclimatology, Boulder and NOAA Paleoclimatology Program ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: PLEASE CITE ORIGINAL REFERENCE WHEN USING THIS DATA!!!!! NAME OF DATA SET: Swiss Spring 300 Year Phenological Index Reconstruction LAST UPDATE: 1/2013 (Values added for 2008-2012 AD) Original receipt by WDC Paleo 7/2008 CONTRIBUTOR: This Rutishauser, University of Bern IGBP PAGES/WDCA CONTRIBUTION SERIES NUMBER: 2008-072 WDC PALEO CONTRIBUTION SERIES CITATION: Rutishauser, T., et al. 2008. Swiss Spring 300 Year Phenological Index Reconstruction. IGBP PAGES/World Data Center for Paleoclimatology Data Contribution Series # 2008-072. NOAA/NCDC Paleoclimatology Program, Boulder CO, USA. ORIGINAL REFERENCE: Rutishauser, T., J. Luterbacher, F. Jeanneret, C. Pfister, and H. Wanner. 2007. A phenology-based reconstruction of interannual changes in past spring seasons. J. Geophys. Res., 112, G04016, doi: 10.1029/2006JG000382. ABSTRACT: Plant phenological observations are accurately dated information of seasonal vegetation variability in midlatitude climates. In order to extend phenological records into the past and assess climate impacts on vegetation on long timescales, there is a need to make use of historical observations of plant phenology. Here we present a continuous, annually resolved reconstruction of a statistical "Spring plant" defined as the weighted mean for the flowering of cherry and apple tree and budburst beech from plant phenological observations across a range of sites in Switzerland from 1702 to 2005. The reconstruction indicates a statistical reconstruction uncertainty (±3.4 days) at interannual timescale. The earliest and the latest year were observed in 1961 (14 April) and 1879 (13 May), respectively. In the context of the last 300 years, the recent three decades do not show a preponderance of very early years as expected from increased spring temperatures. Most of the years in the period after 1990, however, are earlier than the reconstruction mean (27 April). The 1940s, 1910s, 1890s and the early 18th century are periods with similarly early starts of spring season in comparison with the recent decades. Moving linear trend analysis shows unprecedented agreement towards earlier spring onsets in observed and temperature-based, reconstructed plant phenological records in the late 20th/ early 21st century. Our reconstructed "Spring plant" provides long-term evidence of vegetation variability for comparisons with temperature measurement and other spring onset indicators such as snow melt. The multicentennial long record offers a high potential for applications in long-term climate impact studies and vegetation model validations. ADDITIONAL REFERENCE: Rutishauser, T., J. Luterbacher, C. Defila, D. Frank, D. and H. Wanner. 2008. Swiss spring plant phenology 2007: Extremes, a multi-century perspective and changes in temperature sensitivity. Geophysical Research Letters, 35, L05703. GEOGRAPHIC REGION: Switzerland, central Europe PERIOD OF RECORD: 1702 - 2007 AD (original paper covers the period 1702-2005) FUNDING SOURCES: Swiss National Science Foundation (project "Past, Present and Future Climate Impact on Spring and Summer Vegetation - a Phenological Approach" contract 205321-105691/1) and through its National Center of Competence in Research on Climate (NCCR-Climate), projects PALVAREX and CAPRICORN and the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland. DESCRIPTION: Plant phenological spring index based on flowering dates of cherry (Prunus avium) and apple (Malus domesticus) tree and budburst of beech (Fagus sylvatica). Original data from Euroclimhist (www.euroclimhist.com) and MeteoSwiss. Approximate Location, regional average: 6°E/47°N, elevation 200-1000m a.s.l. Temperature sensitivity was analyzed in Rutishauser et al. 2008. NOTE: This file updated 30-January-2013 to add values for 2008-2012 AD DATA: Column 1: Year AD Column 2: Phenological 'statistical plant' index, number of days after January 1 [DoY] Year Index 1702 118 1703 115 1704 113 1705 118 1706 112 1707 118 1708 118 1709 118 1710 119 1711 113 1712 119 1713 118 1714 117 1715 114 1716 117 1717 118 1718 114 1719 118 1720 116 1721 118 1722 110 1723 110 1724 117 1725 116 1726 119 1727 112 1728 109 1729 122 1730 117 1731 123 1732 113 1733 112 1734 108 1735 115 1736 110 1737 115 1738 112 1739 115 1740 118 1741 115 1742 121 1743 118 1744 119 1745 116 1746 118 1747 117 1748 124 1749 120 1750 115 1751 126 1752 123 1753 118 1754 124 1755 114 1756 118 1757 116 1758 114 1759 117 1760 112 1761 121 1762 117 1763 115 1764 128 1765 116 1766 119 1767 123 1768 112 1769 120 1770 129 1771 123 1772 121 1773 114 1774 110 1775 120 1776 114 1777 116 1778 114 1779 109 1780 120 1781 109 1782 124 1783 113 1784 125 1785 126 1786 118 1787 117 1788 117 1789 121 1790 115 1791 112 1792 114 1793 119 1794 107 1795 121 1796 120 1797 116 1798 114 1799 122 1800 115 1801 110 1802 119 1803 112 1804 118 1805 124 1806 121 1807 121 1808 126 1809 122 1810 117 1811 111 1812 121 1813 113 1814 119 1815 106 1816 126 1817 131 1818 120 1819 113 1820 114 1821 120 1822 116 1823 125 1824 124 1825 118 1826 111 1827 119 1828 118 1829 120 1830 112 1831 119 1832 121 1833 120 1834 117 1835 118 1836 119 1837 123 1838 122 1839 119 1840 117 1841 114 1842 118 1843 117 1844 115 1845 128 1846 115 1847 125 1848 119 1849 127 1850 131 1851 122 1852 124 1853 132 1854 118 1855 120 1856 118 1857 119 1858 118 1859 116 1860 124 1861 117 1862 110 1863 117 1864 120 1865 116 1866 117 1867 116 1868 116 1869 114 1870 121 1871 118 1872 115 1873 118 1874 119 1875 119 1876 126 1877 126 1878 124 1879 133 1880 124 1881 118 1882 113 1883 121 1884 110 1885 116 1886 115 1887 121 1888 122 1889 124 1890 116 1891 125 1892 115 1893 109 1894 110 1895 116 1896 121 1897 107 1898 116 1899 111 1900 120 1901 121 1902 112 1903 116 1904 115 1905 115 1906 115 1907 121 1908 124 1909 115 1910 116 1911 118 1912 106 1913 110 1914 113 1915 123 1916 108 1917 126 1918 113 1919 126 1920 110 1921 107 1922 116 1923 113 1924 121 1925 115 1926 111 1927 120 1928 112 1929 126 1930 116 1931 124 1932 123 1933 118 1934 114 1935 118 1936 117 1937 116 1938 109 1939 116 1940 119 1941 124 1942 120 1943 114 1944 118 1945 110 1946 110 1947 116 1948 108 1949 117 1950 115 1951 119 1952 114 1953 111 1954 125 1955 120 1956 126 1957 111 1958 123 1959 112 1960 116 1961 104 1962 123 1963 124 1964 120 1965 125 1966 116 1967 119 1968 115 1969 122 1970 129 1971 117 1972 116 1973 126 1974 109 1975 122 1976 118 1977 115 1978 124 1979 127 1980 125 1981 115 1982 124 1983 119 1984 124 1985 125 1986 126 1987 122 1988 121 1989 111 1990 109 1991 118 1992 119 1993 115 1994 113 1995 116 1996 119 1997 111 1998 116 1999 116 2000 114 2001 118 2002 112 2003 112 2004 116 2005 116 2006 120 2007 107 2008 118 2009 110 2010 116 2011 102 2012 113