Here comes the splendid 'spring 2009' in Seoul Korea.


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Definition of Spring

Meteorologists generally define 4 seasons in many climatic areas, Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn (or Fall). These are demarcated by the values of their average temperatures on a monthly basis,with each season lasting 3 months. The 3 warmest months are by definition Summer, the 3 coldest months are Winter, and the intervening gaps are Spring and Autumn. Spring, when defined in this manner, can start on different dates in different regions. In the vast majority of northern-hemisphere locations, Spring occurs during the months of March, April and May. (Summer is June, July, August; Autumn is September, October, November; Winter is December, January, February.) The vast majority of southern-hemisphere locations will have opposing seasons with spring in September, October and November. [1]

Astronomically, the Vernal Equinox (usually March 20 in the Northern Hemisphere, and September 22 in the Southern Hemisphere), should be the middle of spring, and the summer solstice (usually June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and December 21 in the Southern Hemisphere) should be mid-summer, but daytime temperatures lag behind insolation by several weeks because the atmosphere, earth and sea has thermal latency and takes time to warm up. Some cultures call the spring equinox mid-spring, but others regard it as the first day of spring.

According to the Celtic tradition, which is based solely on daylight and the strength of the noon sun, spring begins in early February (near Imbolc or Candlemas) and continues until early May (Beltane).

Unlike the other three seasons, people in relatively cool climates are likely to use the astronomical[citation needed] definition for the beginning of spring in popular jargon but retain the meteorological definition for the other three seasonal turning points.

The phenological definition of spring relates to indicators, the blossoming of a range of plant species, and the activities of animals, or the special smell of soil that has reached the temperature for micro flora to flourish. The first swallow to arrive for the flowering of lilac may be the indicator of spring. It therefore varies according to the climate and according to the specific weather of a particular year.