Climate Change Could Be Be Affecting Fall Foliage—Here’s How

Fall is a feast for the senses. Between the feel of crisp air biting skin, the scent of cinnamon, the cackling witches, and the countless

pumpkin-flavored offerings, autumn makes itself known. Visually, the season is synonymous with a riot of warm hues as leaves present a final performance before tumbling from the trees.

But with

climate change comes shifts in the iconic colors we know and love, which could result in billions of lost tourism dollars—think

$30 billion a year in revenue up and down

the East Coast.

Warming temperatures and shifting conditions (drier or much damper, depending on where you reside) undoubtedly have an effect on the plant life around us. In terms of fall foliage, this may translate to changes in timing and vibrance.

Since 1970, temperatures across the U.S. have increased by an average of

2.7 degrees, with the fall season certain cities elongating by one week to a month. These

warmer autumn days—October 2021 was the fourth warmest October in a 142-year record,

according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—are thought to be slowly pushing the timing of the season's hues back, allowing trees to stay green for longer periods of time.

Some scientists dispute the theory, claiming that leaf senescence (the annual shedding) occurs earlier or later depending on the tree's productivity in the spring and summer seasons, serving to even out the timing. Some even think that falling leaves

may ultimately occur

earlier.

Drought years and dry conditions can also result in dulled hues—in fact, any

changes in temperature and moisture year-round serve to affect leaves' chlorophyll (green pigment), sugars, anthocyanin (red and purples), and carotenoids (yellows and golds), making fall's expected hues an entirely variable affair.

Studies around climate change and fall foliage are still underway, and complicated, as certain things—like the brilliance of color—are difficult to quantify.

For now, take the time to stop and observe autumn's eye-catching beauty as it exists now—less traditionally striking showings may be on the horizon.