Citizen Scientists Wanted, Needed to Study Climate Change

Other than recycling, switching from paper to plastic, turning up the AC and down the heat, are you feeling powerless about climate change?

There’s now a way you can help scientists figure out what’s going on, by joining Project BudBurst. It’s a fantastic grassroots effort to chronicle the timing of leafing and flowering in specific regions.

While there may be dozens of scientists and academic institutions studying climate change, they simply don’t have the access to data that’s needed to really optimally observe what’s happening on the ground all across the country.

So backyard gardeners, farmers and green-thumb hobbyists are being invited to make planting notes and then note milestones in plant growth through the season and coming years.

More than 2,900 people have registered as citizen scientists to monitor some 3,900 plants.

In a weirdly headlined story about BudBurst today, the Chicago Tribune notes that BudBurst is modeled after the annual Audubon Christmas bird count, a volunteer-driven effort that has provided ornithologists with more than 100 years worth of data.

The graphic is a BudBurst current participation map. Looks like there’s plenty of opportunity to have an impact in your small plot of land or backyard garden.