Researchers have used Thoreau’s observations of plant flowering, leaf emergence on trees and shrubs, bird migration and spring ice melt to study how these events have changed since the 1850s, largely in response to climate change. — The Conversation
Researchers are using a collection of photographs of British landscapes taken between 1910-1935 to analyze current effects of climate change at those locations.
– Is the information collected using rigorous methods that are well documented and clearly described? Modern researchers should be able to repeat them – for example, locating sites where past naturalists worked, making observations over the same number of days per week and following other key parts of their methods.
In this 2011 video, Boston University biologist Richard Primack explains how he and his research team used Henry David Thoreau’s nature observations from the 1850s to measure the effects of climate change in New England.When we assessed the rigor, accuracy and utility of Thoreau’s natural history observations, we found that he was indeed a good naturalist.