Ames, Iowa — Researchers at Iowa State University using satellite data have found an impact from city lights on trees and plants. Yuyu Zhou, says the impact is significant.
They concluded the lights advanced the date of breaking leaf buds in the spring by nearly nine days and delayed the coloring of leaves by about six days in the fall. He says it’s the first large-scale look at the impact. Those who suffer from allergies could be feeling the impact on the growing season for what it produces.
Zhou says the urban heat island effect, where urban areas heat up faster than rural areas also contributes to the growing season changes. He says the change in the growing season can mismatch different trees and mess with the natural cycle.
Zhou is an associate professor of geological and atmospheric sciences at Iowa State. He says there is a positive to extending the season for some plants.
The study compared seasonal changes in plants at around three thousand urban sites.
