Groundhog Day was on February 2. It is famous because of the superstition that if the furry rodent casts a shadow, winter continues. If not, spring comes early.
This Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog is handled by Punxsutawney Phil. Thousands of people wait for this forecast every year.
The research scientists chose to see how Phil’s foreseeing abilities can change if they threw climate change into the mix. Not to forget, weather is what Phil encounters every day. On the other hand, climate is the long-term trend over time.
So if it rains more, the groundhog will see its shadow less that implies more forecasts of early spring. If the climate trends hotter, then spring can be expected to come earlier. Thus, we can presume that climate change is likely to yield better Groundhog Day predicting power over time.
Researches further added that we should be worrying about the groundhog’s health with a changing climate. As they hibernate after eating a whole lot to fatten up, thus tends to spend much of the year sleeping, The groundhogs use almost all of their fat reserves during these so-called arousal periods.
Climate change could mean more arousals, and quicker depletion of the groundhog’s fat. At one point, when they go really skinny, they may die in hibernation. Then again, they may decide to emerge early from hibernations. In any case they’ll emerge skinnier, or die because they’re so skinny.
So finally, the researchers simply concluded that not even America’s weirdest superstition is safe from climate change’s clutches.
Image Credit: parade.com
