Plants flower faster than climate change models predict (BBC) [View all]

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By Matt McGrath
Science reporter, BBC World Service

Scientific models are failing to accurately predict the impact of global warming on plants, says a new report.

Researchers found in long-term studies that some are flowering up to eight times faster than models anticipate.

The authors say that poor study design and a lack of investment in experiments partly account for the difference.

They suggest that spring flowering and leafing will continue to advance at the rate of 5 to 6 days per year for every degree celsius of warming.

The results were published in the journal Nature.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17924653