jtotheizzoe:

Watch the slow creep of spring as it pushes the cold hand of winter back to the frigid north … only to succumb again next year, of course.

NASA’s MODIS imager senses Earth’s reflection of both visible and longer wavelength near-infrared light. Plants, full of chlorophyll, absorb most visible light (except for green, of course) and reflect near-infrared. By combining this with the reflection of snow, NASA can watch the yearly cycle of vegetation springing back and falling away.

I made a higher-res GIF here, and you can watch the full three-year animation here.

boston:

A spring frost could doom early blooms

- A sudden plunge in temperatures could have dire consequences for trees, animals, and crops following an abnormally warm winter and early blooming.

“A cold snap could kill tree buds and flowers already in bloom, and some scientists raised concerns about bees dying in droves, potentially reducing pollination on a large scale, as well as the stresses on trees having to produce a new set of leaf buds for those killed off by frost.

Joan Walsh, director of bird monitoring at Mass Audubon, worries about the dangers for all the hummingbirds, swallows, killdeers, and other birds that have flocked to the north in larger numbers than she has ever heard of for this time of year.

“It could be a real problem,’’ she said. “There are always some birds that get it wrong and come too early, but what’s profoundly different this year is that the bulk of birds are arriving early. It’s not just a few oddballs.’’”

Read the rest at Boston