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Authorities have cautioned that 'haze season' and 'trash season' have become a regular part of the planet's yearly climate pattern, affecting environments and altering the calendar.
The latest seasons are now occurring annually, solely due to human actions and presenting significant risks to public health, ocean creatures, and the world's environments.
Annual haze season affects various regions in Southeast AsiaAsia, when dense smoke covers the area, leading to dangerous air conditions and broad health issues.
Most of the smog originates from deliberately started fires, large-scale burning operations used to clear land for farming in nations such asIndonesia and Malaysia.
A comparable trend has been observed in the United States as California'its wildfire season, previously confined to the hottest months,starts in spring and continues until December.
In Bali, a distinct seasonal cycle occurs annually between December and March. With the change in monsoon winds, ocean currents transport massive amounts of plastic debris onto the shores, covering the beaches with heaps of trash.
This "trash season" has become so regular that residents can now forecast it to the exact month.
Comparable occurrences have taken place in the Philippines, Thailand, and also along the US East Coast, where the Gulf Stream and other ocean currents carry floating waste towards Florida and the Carolinas, particularly in the summer months.
To gain a clearer insight into and articulate the changing climate patterns, the research group examined multiple decades of satellite images, meteorological data, and community reports.
They have also created a new set of terms to describe the changing weather patterns: lost seasons, irregular seasons, and offbeat seasons.
The period of haze in Southeast Asia usually begins in June and continues until September.
Smoke frequently crosses boundaries, wrapping cities inSingapore, Thailand, and further into a harmful haze that may persist for several weeks.
The team from the London School of Economics and Political Science stated that this phenomenon "results from the extensive burning of tropical peatlands in areas of Malaysia and Indonesia and has become a recurring occurrence in equatorial Southeast Asia, affecting the health and lives of millions."
This season is also observed in northern India every winter, as the monsoon period concludes and agricultural burning starts, frequently increased locally due to Diwali-related fire celebrations.
The United States has also grown accustomed to hazy skies every summer, as areas in the northeastern region were covered in smoke during the weekend, leading to air quality warnings in New York and New Jersey.
In 2023, smoke from unprecedented Canadian wildfires spread across the Midwest and East Coast, causing skies to turn orange overNew York City.
Such occurrences are increasing in frequency, according to researchers, as wildfire seasons in North America become longer, more severe, and hotter.
"Examining the emerging atmospheric seasons of the Anthropocene, marine pollution seasons are also becoming apparent, as seen on the shores of Bali, Indonesia," the research states.
In this area, floating plastic debris, which is either carried from the land by intense rain or discarded into the sea, is pushed by powerful monsoon winds onto the southern shores of the island province between December and March.
The latest season has required governments to hire hundreds of temporary workers and volunteers to help with cleanup every year.
In March, Bali announced that more than 3,000 tons of marine waste and garbage washed up on its beaches following the latest monsoon period.
Pollution along the East Coast of the United States, particularly in regions such as New England's estuaries, usually reaches its highest levels in the summer.
This is probably due to elements such as higher rainfall in this period, resulting in more surface water flow and the movement of terrestrial plastics into coastal areas.
As per the research, certain conventional seasons have also disappeared. In mountainous areas such as the Andes and the Rocky Mountains, the previously reliable winter sports season is disintegrating because of a significant shortage of snow.
In the northern part of England, seabirds such as kittiwakes have ceased to come back to nest at their typical time, disrupting a natural pattern that local communities have relied on for many years.
Other seasons, such as spring and summer, have become out of sync. These are 'arrhythmic' changes, where spring arrives too soon, or summer lingers longer than it should, indicating that the natural cycle is becoming misaligned.
For instance, mating and hibernation patterns throughout Europe are now commencing several weeks earlier than previously.
In a similar manner, the periods of wildfires and hurricanes are extending across North America and the Pacific, causing challenges in planning and readiness.
There are also 'syncopated' seasons, which have not disappeared or shifted, but have become more pronounced. A clear example is Europe's summer.
Since the 2003 French heatwave claimed many lives, researchers haveit was observed that summers throughout the continent are not only warmer but also more hazardous.These periods maintain the typical pattern, yet feature a more intense and erratic tempo.
In this instance, the season did not vanish, but instead became excessively intensified. This results in a syncopated rhythm, where the pattern remains, yet the beat is more forceful and less predictable.
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