 The study examined seasonal and spatial relationships between land surface phenology and atmospheric components of five teleconnection patterns over three oceans to assess predictability of North American vegetation activity based on knowledge of atmospheric teleconnection indices. Autumn to winter composites of the Southern Oscillation Index, SOI, were strongly correlated with start-up growing season timing, especially in the Pacific Northwest. The two leading modes of North Pacific variability were significantly correlated with start-up growing season timing across much of Southern Canada and the upper Great Lakes. Regression models based on these Pacific teleconnections were skillful predictors of spring phenology across an east-west swath of temperate and boreal North America, between 40°N and 60°N. The study suggests that knowledge of atmospheric conditions over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans increases the predictability of North American spring phenology and a more robust consideration of the complexity of the atmospheric circulation system is an important step towards accurate forecasts of vegetation activity. This article was offered by Matthew P. Dannenberg, Erica K. Wise, Mark Janko, and others. We are article.tv, links in the description below.