Our Four Seasons Are Breaking Down – Here’s What Climate Scientists Say Comes Next

Karsten Würth on Unsplash" />In a new study, geographers from the University of York and the London School of Economics have proposed that we could soon have new seasons and, in fact, that it is already happening now.These changes are due to climate change and the researchers believe that while we will always have different temperatures throughout the year, the way that humans experience these seasons will change.To come to terms with this and prepare for the future of our weather as we know it, the researchers outlined for seasons that they believe have grown in prominence:Emergent seasons – entirely new seasonal patterns that didn’t previously exist in a given regionExtinct seasons – traditional seasons that have effectively disappeared or become unrecognisableArrhythmic seasons – disruptions to the expected timing and duration of seasonal cyclesSyncopated seasons – irregular fluctuations in the intensity or character of seasonsAs a person living in Scotland, I can tell you that the temperatures we have in September are NOT what they were even 10 years ago.The impact of human destruction on seasonsWriting for The Conversation, the researchers say: “In our recent study, we argue that new seasons are surfacing. These emergent seasons are entirely novel and anthropogenic (in other words, made by humans).“Examples include “haze seasons” in the northern and equatorial nations of south-east Asia, when the sky is filled with smoke for several weeks. This is caused by widespread burning of vegetation to clear forests and make way for agriculture during particularly dry times of year.”As if this wasn’t depressing and dystopic enough, the researchers add: “There is the annual “trash season”, during which tidal patterns bring plastic to the shores of Bali, Indonesia, between November and March.”Closer to home, the researchers warn that some seasons are disappearing all together and are impacting anumal behaviour and ecosystems, such as the delcine of seabird breeding seasons in northern England.The soon to be ‘new normal’ The world that we once knew is changing before our eyes and even something as simple as the falling of autumn leaves will soon be different. The researchers say: “The timings of key seasonal events, like when leaves fall or certain migratory species arrive, are becoming more unpredictable. We coined the term “arrhythmic seasons”, a concept borrowed from cardiology, to refer to abnormal rhythms which include earlier springs or breeding seasons, longer summers or growing seasons, and shorter winters or hibernating seasons.“Changing seasonal patterns throw the interdependent life cycles of plants and animals out of sync with each other, and disrupt the communities that are economically, socially and culturally dependent on them.”As scary and disorienting this may seem, the researchers urge that we must move with these seasons as they happen, saying: “Seasons are more than just divisions of time – they connect us with nature. Finding synchrony with changing seasonal rhythms is essential for building a sustainable future.”Related...The UN's Decision To Let Countries Sue Each Other Over Climate Change Is A Regrettable NecessityFixing UK Housing Must Be A Priority As We Adapt To Our New Climate Reality, MP Warns'This Earth Day, We Should Defy Trump's Climate Denial And Honour Pope Francis Instead'

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