Forcing the Spring

Scientists: Seasons creeping forward

Warming shifts stand out among data, 2 studies find

Thursday, January 22, 2009 3:19 AM

By Robert Mitchum

Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO -- The news might seem welcome in the middle of a long, cold winter: Scientists have shown that the start of spring has moved almost two days earlier in the past 50 years.

But scientists say the finding, one of two papers released yesterday on climate change, actually is a warning sign. Together, the studies bolster the argument that the planet's temperatures have shifted significantly during the past half-century, with many of the potential consequences likely to be negative.