Studying Air Quality and Aerosols - Alicia Carlson

Audience

Middle and high school students

Time

Multiple days, depending on data collection

• Day 1: Read “Hidden in Plain Sight”
• Day 2: Watch and discuss “My Name is Aerosol”
• Day 3: Begin collecting Aerosols data and use “Observing Visibility and Sky Color”

Materials

• Hidden in Plain Sight (download pdf from webpage)
• NASA’s Earth Minute video “My Name is Aerosol”
• GLOBE Protocols:
  • Aerosols
  • Clouds (optional)
• GLOBE learning activity “Observing Visibility and Sky Color” (pdf)
• Optional:
  • My NASA Data “Exploring Sky Color and Visibility — Interactive Models”​​​​​​​
  • Air Quality (Aerosols) One-Week Pacing Guide (NASA Langley)

Hidden in Plain Sight: Citizen Science for Air Quality

The Natural Inquirer “Hidden in Plain Sight” monograph presents articles on several topics. Your students will learn about the fascinating Moon Trees project, where seeds from trees were first launched with Apollo 14 in 1971. Once the seeds returned from space, the USDA Forest Service germinated the seeds and handed them out to communities around the U.S. Some of the original Moon Trees are still standing. Maybe there’s one near you! Find the list of original Moon Trees here.

In 2022, NASA and the USDA Forest Service partnered to again send seeds to space on the Artemis I mission to the moon. Community members around the United States applied to receive a Moon Tree seedling to grow while also collecting data.

Later in “Hidden in Plain Sight” your students will read about students in Seattle, Washington, who collected data for a citizen science project. They looked for and collected certain types of moss and prepared samples to measure levels of air pollutants found in the moss. This would point scientists to sources of air pollution in the city.

Study Aerosols with GLOBE

Your students can conduct their own air quality investigations using GLOBE’s Aerosols protocol and related activities. Aerosols are very small particles — both solid and liquid — that are suspended in the air. They can impact air quality and impact human health and the environment. Aerosols come from both natural and human sources.

First, prepare your students to learn about aerosols by watching the NASA Minute Earth video “My Name is Aerosol.” This short video describes aerosols, where they originate, and how they impact the Earth, both positively and negatively.

Note: To measure aerosols, you will need a sun photometer. The protocol mentions a “GLOBE sun photometer,” but that isn’t available anymore. Find information about using a sun photometer on the GLOBE Mission Earth Air Quality Instruments webpage.

You can begin collecting Aerosols data and conduct the GLOBE learning activity “Observing Visibility and Sky Color” at the same time. Through the activity, your students will make observations of the sky color over time to document and classify changes and understand the relationship between sky color, visibility, and aerosols in the atmosphere.

Optional Activities and Protocols

GLOBE has so many resources related to aerosols and air quality, I could have written a book! Instead, I’ll let you decide for yourselves if you want to continue your aerosols studies with additional activities and protocols.

• If your students need practice with observing visibility and sky color, they can get it with My NASA Data’s “Exploring Sky Color and Visibility — Interactive Models.” Students can explore the effect of aerosols on sky color and visibility using an interactive model.
• GLOBE’s Clouds protocol is natural extension when collecting Aerosols data. Cloud observations are generally easy (once you learn all the cloud types, and there are many resources to help!). And, I think, the best part is when you make your observations at the same time as a satellite makes them from miles above Earth. When this happens (and you’ve submitted your data to GLOBE! very important), you get an email from NASA scientists showing the matching satellite information, which is SO COOL!
• The GLOBE Partners at NASA Langley Research Center have put together a series of pacing guides to provide educators with GLOBE and NASA protocols and activities to teach different topics. Their Air Quality (Aerosols) One-Week Pacing Guide (pdf) is designed for grades 6–12 and includes background information about air quality and aerosols plus at least one activity per day, including some that are highlighted here. Find all the NASA Langley pacing guides here.
• There are many resources available related to the Moon Trees project. One Moon Trees resource from GLOBE was created when the application period for Moon Tree seedlings was open to help community members find easy ways to collect data and provide outreach to their communities on the Moon Trees, or trees in general.

Still Need to Be GLOBE Trained?

If you’re not yet trained in GLOBE or you aren’t familiar with the Aerosols or Clouds protocols, I recommend that you take the eTraining associated with each protocol as well as the introductory training for atmosphere. They can all found on the Atmosphere training page.

Upload Your Data to the GLOBE Database

Once you have completed a GLOBE training, you can add your students’ data to the GLOBE database. GLOBE’s database contains 30 years of data collected by GLOBE students, educators, and citizen scientists. Learn more about GLOBE Data Entry.

Students Have Collected Data … What’s Next?

Now it’s time to consider submitting your student research and reports to GLOBE’s International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS) or attend a regional Student Research Symposium (SRS).

An important aspect of science is communicating ideas. Scientists receive feedback from their peers and must learn to explain their findings to the general public. To help your students in the process of communicating their research — either through the IVSS, SRS, or a local science fair — visit GLOBE’s Steps in the Scientific Process webpage.

Acknowledgement: This material is based upon work supported by USDA Forest Service Eastern Region (Agreement no. 20-PA-11090100-026). Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USDA Forest Service.

This blog post is part of the   GLOBE and the Natural Inquirer Crosswalk Project . Other blog posts are available on the   U.S. GLOBE Teacher Resources page . 

Natural Inquirer issues can be downloaded, and classroom sets of many issues can be ordered from their website. Find the complete list of issues available and instructions for ordering on the  Natural Inquirer website .