Scientists' Corner
GLOBE Urban Phenology Year Project Launched
The GLOBE Urban Phenology Year (GUPY) project was launched recently in 11 cities in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. Several workshops on the budburst protocol were held in various cities and attended by GLOBE teachers and students. The GUPY project aims to compare budburst data with satellite images across an urbanization gradient.
The cities involved in the project are Amman and Irbid, Jordan; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Tokyo, Japan; Manila, Philippines; Bangkok and Korat, Thailand; Jyväskylä, Finland; Dakar, Senegal; and New York, NY and Fairbanks, AK, USA. GLOBE Country Coordinators from each city were contacted prior to the workshop to provide them with information about the budburst protocol and the criteria for species and site selection.
Workshops on GUPY and the budburst protocol highlighted the importance of phenology for studying global warming and climate change, and how budburst data collection is crucial to track the impacts of urbanization on vegetation phenology patterns. Teachers consider the project as a breakthrough since the majority of them had no prior experience with phenology research. Teachers revealed that this kind of research is important to make their students aware of how the budburst of trees is affected by warmer temperature in urban areas compared to rural fringes. Teachers expressed their willingness to not only collaborate with other GLOBE schools in their city, but with other countries as well.
Bangkok, Thailand and Irbid, Amman, not included in the original list of cities, were added because of the enthusiasm of teachers from these cities to participate. The number of schools participating in some cities increased after the workshop was conducted. Workshops were held in Japan on October 28, 2004; Thailand on February 17-18, 2005; Finland on February 24; Kyrgyzstan on February 28-29; Jordan on March 7; Senegal on March 10; and Alaska on April 9, 2005. During the visits in some countries, Dr. Rico Gazal, Postdoctoral Research Associate of the GUPY project, had the opportunity to visit GLOBE schools and see the native trees teachers have selected for budburst measurements.
Here is information about the countries and cities participating in this unique opportunity:
| Country | City | Estimated City Population | Deciduous Tree Species | Project Coordinator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | Jyväskylä | 120 K | Betula pendula | Mr. Markku Lemmetty |
| Japan | Tokyo | 12 M | Zelkova serrata | Drs. Toshihiko Higuchi and Tadaya Tsuji |
| Jordan | Amman and Irbid | 2 M | Ficus carica | Mr. Mohammad Al-faour and Ms. Lama Ai-masalha |
| Kyrgyzstan | Bishkek | 1 M | Populus alba | Drs. Nurmira Jumangulova and Janyl Sabirova |
| Philippines | Manila | 8 M | Pterocarpus indicus | Dr. Roberto G. Visco |
| Senegal | Dakar | 2 M | Adansonia digitata | Prof. Diaraf Fal |
| Thailand | Bangkok | 7 M | Pterocarpus indicus | Dr. Pornpun Waithayangkoon |
| Korat | 2 M | Acacia harmandiana | Dr. Sompong Thammathaworn | |
| USA | Fairbanks, AK | 30 K | Betula neoalaskana | Drs. Elena Sparrow and Leslie Gordon |
| New York, NY | 8 M | Quercus palustris | Dr. Allan Ludman |
Korat, Thailand; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; and Dakar, Senegal have already collected budburst data while Japan, Finland and USA are still monitoring their trees for budburst. Philippines will start the project by the end of May while Bangkok, Thailand and Jordan will start early next year.
The principal investigator of the GUPY project is Dr. Michael White from Utah State University and his collaborators are Drs. Rob Gillies, Leslie Gordon and Rico Gazal also from Utah State University; and Dr. Elena Sparrow from University of Alaska Fairbanks. The project's website can be accessed at: http://www.gis.usu.edu/~mikew/Urban_Phenology/Urban_Phenology.v2.html
Written by:
Rico M. Gazal
Department of Aquatic, Watershed and Earth Resources
5210 Old Main Hill
Utah State University
Logan, UT 84322-5210 USA
phone: 435-797-3768
Fax: 435-797-3872
email: rgazal@cc.usu.edu