Workshop - Advancing Phenological Studies in the Face of Climate Change

From 11th to 15th March, 2024, a group of leading scientists and researchers in the field of plant phenology gathered at the Lorentz Center in Leiden, The Netherlands, for a pivotal workshop on the future of phenological studies in the context of climate change. Spearheaded by organizers Mahdi Khodadadzadeh, Raúl Zurita-Milla, Iñaki Garcia de Cortazar Atauri, Herminia García Mozo, and Annette Menzel, this event marked a significant step towards understanding and addressing the impacts of climate change on natural ecosystems, agriculture, and human health.
HortiBonn’s Eike Luedeling got to participate in the reflections. His contributions included a hands-on introduction of the PhenoFlex modeling framework. Climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and an increase in extreme weather events, poses unprecedented challenges to global ecosystems and socio-economic systems. Plant phenology, the study of life-cycle events such as leafing and flowering, serves as a crucial indicator for detecting and understanding these changes. The workshop aimed to foster collaboration, alignment, and knowledge exchange among scientists and researchers working in the field of phenology. Participants engaged in discussions on the application, data, and models used in phenological studies, with a focus on leveraging advanced Machine Learning algorithms and tools.
A key objective of the workshop was to establish strong multidisciplinary collaborations and foster a joint understanding between Machine Learning and biological modeling approaches. By aligning on a benchmark phenological study and drafting proposals for future research agendas, participants sought to guide the next decades of phenological model development.