Many people are already starting to see flowers budding, birds chirping, and green grass growing! These indicators prove spring is coming earlier! Let’s learn some evidence about spring coming sooner.

I think spring is definitely coming earlier in Maine. Graphs of the average temperature in Portland, and the ice out dates of Damariscotta Lake, Lake Auburn, Rangely Lake, and Moosehead Lake are all evidence of an earlier spring. The average temperature of spring in Portland has risen over the years of 888 and 2000.

The trend line shows the temperature has gone up about an average of one degree farheinheight, but when you look at the more specific temperature degrees you can see it is really more than that in some years. The graph Damariscotta Lake graph shows the ice out date is coming earlier every year. From 1848 -2000, the trend line shows that the ice out date has come sooner. The Lake Auburn trend line shows the ice out date has come sooner from 1880 - 2000. This is one more lake that has had ice out earlier every year. The Rangeley Lake date is not as dramatic as the others dates, but it does come earlier. People began paying attention here in about 1880 also.

Last, Moosehead Lake has had their ice out date earlier every year. This data does show that the ice out date is coming sooner every year. The graphs are connected because they all show that spring is coming sooner. You can’t tell me rise in temperatures and ice out dates happening sooner are not evidence of an earlier spring!

Not only do the graphs about ice out dates and temperatures give evidence that spring is coming sooner, but there are many other things that do too, such is flowers budding earlier, seeing wildlife that you don’t normally see in the winter, green grass, and bird chirping. One of the indicators that prove spring is coming sooner would be the wildlife. Birds are starting to come North from the South. Skunks have even come out of hibernation. I actually saw a skunk cross the street a couple says ago. Do you believe that?!
Scientists can investigate spring weather coming sooner many ways. If I were a scientist I would investigate the plants and animals every year. I would record when the bird come back from the south, when you start seeing green grass, or when you see hibernating animals again. These are all things that prove spring weather is sooner because it is spring that you see these things again. New questions I would observe are : What is causing the warmer spring weather? Is this poorly effecting out animals? One question to really research is how we can fix this. Eventually we might not even have winter. Some of our animals depend on winter. What would we do then?

As you can see, spring weather is indeed coming sooner. We have evidence froms graphs and many indicators that prove spring is coming sooner.