Phenology

Strawberries ripen in the spring, melons in the summer, and corn is harvested in the fall: We humans are dependent on the changing seasons. In her PhD thesis at the University of Zurich’s Department of Geography, Irene Garonna looked into the question of how the seasons are shifting along with climate change. Various studies have shown that for many plant species, spring has been coming earlier in recent decades. Satellite imagery helps document changes in the seasons and might also enable us to better understand and potentially predict the effects of climate change on our environment.