Phenology is the study of the timing of recurring biological phases, the causes of their timing with regard to biotic and abiotic forces, and the interrelation among phases of the same or different species.  Although phenology is a far-reaching component of environmental science, it is poorly understood relative to other ecological patterns and processes.  For example, it is unclear how climatic attributes affect the phenology of different organisms, and how those attributes vary in importance on different spatial and temporal scales. We know phenology affects the abundance and diversity of organisms, and their function and interactions in the environment, especially their effects on fluxes in water, energy, and chemical elements at various scales. With sufficient observations and understanding, phenology can be used as a predictor for other processes and variables of importance at local to global scales, and phenology could drive a variety of ecological forecast models with both scientific and practical applications. 

Results/Conclusions

The USA National Phenology Network (NPN) is a new enterprise – a national network of integrated phenological observations essential to evaluate ongoing environmental changes (www.usanpn.org). The NPN will integrate with other observation networks, including networks of field stations, regional phenology networks, remote sensing products, emerging technologies and data management capabilities, and will capitalize on myriad educational opportunities and a new readiness of the public to participate in investigations of nature on a national scale.  This talk will illustrate how integration of spatially-extensive phenological data and models with both short and long-term climatic forecasts offer a powerful agent for human adaptation to ongoing and future climate change.