Trees around the GLOBE

Looking at Metrics and Data Numbers Related to the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign.

2021-08-12T15:21:47Z

The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign is finishing up its third year. During the first three years, the campaign has had great success in building and sustaining active participation from many GLOBE members from across, currently, 58 GLOBE countries. Check out the metrics below. Since the onset of the campaign on September 15, 2018 (coincident with the launch of the NASA Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 or ICESat-2 Satellite), there had been a huge uptick in tree height, land cover, and greenings (green up/green down) observations uploaded to the GLOBE Program's database.

Figure 1: Tree Height, Land Cover, and Greenings (Green Up/Green Down) Observations in GLOBE Database during the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign and for the history of the GLOBE Program.

Figure 2: GLOBE Visualization System Map of Tree Height, Land Cover, and Greenings (Green Up/Green Down) Observations in GLOBE Database during the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign. Also, some stats on webinars, participants, and campaign blog views.

Figure 3: Active Countries Map for the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign as of August 2021.

Can a storm and wind affect tree height? Here's the evidence!

2021-02-11T16:07:11Z

Have you ever seen a tree snap due to high winds or a lightning strike?

Back in March 2020, I saw a beautiful Bradford Pear tree starting to bloom with its pale yellow-white blossoms. I thought that this would be a very nice, isolated tree to take a NASA GLOBE Observer tree height observation.

Tree Height - March 15, 2020, 19.41m, Bradford Pear, Salisbury, Maryland USA

Let's fast forward to August 4, 2020. At this time, the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States was being greatly affected by the remnants of Hurricane Isaias. By this time, the hurricane was downgraded to Tropical Storm Isaias, but still contained heavy precipitation and very strong winds.

Precipitation map on August 4, 2020 of Tropical Storm Isaias. The orange and yellow represents the most precipitation. Salisbury, Maryland, located with the red star, is in the dark green region. This is a heavy rain area.

At approximately 1:30pm EDT, a neighbor texted me the following, "It's a sad day today, wind took down half of the Bradford Pear tree next to the pond." A sad day indeed! Bradford Pear trees are known to be weak-structured and not very resilient. Bradford Pears have a life expectancy of about 18 to 25 years, so they grow at a fast pace, with each branch and twig sprouting upwards. This causes many limbs to crowd around the trunk, or base, of the tree. The higher the branches grow, the weaker they become.

Let's fast forward again, but this time to February 3, 2021. Just after an evening snowfall on February 2, 2021, I wanted to do another tree height observation to see just how much the tree has changed over almost a year's time. Wait until you see the difference!

Tree Height - February 3, 2021, 19.41m, Bradford Pear, Salisbury, Maryland USA

Comparison of the Bradford Pear Tree Heights - March 15, 2020 and February 3, 2021, including a precipitation map of Tropical Storm Isaias and the photon height data from ICESat-2.

Look at the difference in the tree height between March 15, 2020 and February 3, 2021. The tree height went from 19.41m to 16.61m! Can you see the difference in the size and shape of the tree? Can you see why the tree height decreased by 2.8m following the August 4, 2020 Tropical Storm Isaias weather event? This really highlights the effects that wind can have on tree height, especially on a historically-weak tree species.

Now, let's take this a bit further. As you know, the NASA Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 or ICESat-2 Mission also measures tree canopy height from space. You also know that ICESat-2 uses an onboard laser altimeter system called the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System or ATLAS, to measure the heights of object on Earth, including sea ice, ice sheet, glaciers, sea level, landforms, and trees.

So, I decided to see if ICESat-2 happened to measure this tree, and to my delight, it did! What makes this super-exciting is that this is an isolated tree. What does this mean? The ICESat-2 laser photons that are fired from the satellite to Earth spread out when traveling the 300 miles from the satellite to the Earth. When the photon hits the Earth, it has an approximate 14m diameter footprint on the ground. If there happens to be multiple trees in that footprint, ICESat-2 takes an average tree height from all the trees within that footprint. The Bradford Pear tree happened to be an isolated tree, meaning that it was the only tree height captured, by ICESat-2 in the photon footprint. Exciting stuff!

Looking at the height of the Bradford Pear Tree from ICESat-2, and the NASA GLOBE Observer Trees Tool

On July 31, 2019, ICESat-2 measured the Bradford Pear at 19.13m, just a tiny bit smaller (only 0.28m difference) than I did using the NASA GLOBE Observer on March 15, 2020. This is a very close match of tree height data from the ground (NASA GLOBE Observer) and space (ICESat-2).

My hopes is that ICESat-2 will once again take a tree height measurement of the Bradford Pear. We can then see how close I am with my post-Tropical Storm Isaias wind damaged tree height observation of 16.61m. Until then, keep looking up at the trees.

Pacing, Tree Height, and Land Cover

2021-06-03T12:55:43Z

Did you know that your pace is a vital part of taking observations of tree height and land cover? A pace is a unit of length consisting either of one normal walking step, or of a double step, returning to the same foot, your dominant foot.

Pacing Image above courtesy of Rothwell-Osnabruch K-12 School - Ontario, Canada

The NASA GLOBE Observer Trees Tool uses your height to estimate your step length, which it then uses to estimate the distance to the tree, but you can also measure your pace directly, which will make your tree height measurements more accurate. Want to learn how to figure out your pace? Please take a look at the NASA GLOBE Observer 'Find Your Pace' Activity

You can also take a deeper diving into pacing and why it is also important for NASA GLOBE Observer Land Cover Tool users by checking out the GLOBE Investigation Instruments 'Pacing Activity.' The citizen scientists will need to identify a space for observation that has 50 meters of clearance in each direction. When implementing the protocol observation, they may not always have an opportunity to measure the 50 m area with a tape measure. Becoming familiar with how far 50 m is by pacing can help them in successful implementation of the protocol.

Example of pacing from the GLOBE Investigations Instruments 'Pacing Activity'

Pacing is vital to making sure that you get an accurate tree height measurement and that you are able to accurately measure the 50m area when taking land cover observations.

The 25,000th NASA GO Tree Height is in!

2020-12-07T14:39:33Z

WOOHOO! It’s time to celebrate! The NASA GLOBE Observer just had its 25,000th citizen science tree height observation. The observation came in on November 30, 2020 from Corvallis, Oregon. Since the release of the NASAGO Trees Tool on March 26, 2019, there has been an average of 40 tree height observations taken per day across the GLOBE Program participant countries.

Do you want to take tree height observations too? Check out https://observer.globe.gov/do-globe-observer/trees. Your tree height observations are so important to science research and exploration:

- Tree height is the most widely used indicator of an ecosystem’s ability to grow trees.

- Tree height allows you to track the growth of trees over time.

-The GLOBE Tree height observations can help researchers understand the gain or loss of biomass which can inform calculations of the carbon that trees and forests either take in from or release into the atmosphere.

Remember, always follow guidelines from your local officials, and only participate in GLOBE activities or use the GLOBE Observer app if it is safe to do so. Please check out the GLOBE Program's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

NASA Releases Two New Tree Related Feature Videos

2020-10-29T17:00:12Z

Brian Campbell here.

I just wanted to share, with every participant on the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign, that NASA has released two new amazing videos related to trees, tree height and tree research.

Video 1

“An unexpectedly large count of trees in West African Sahara and Sahel,”
Released on 16 October 2020
This visualization focuses on the Dryer areas of the globe that do not have forests are sometimes discounted for their contribution to the global biome in climate models and other prediction systems. However, this research has shown that over 1.8 billion trees are in the small study area in the West African Sahara and Sahel.
Video location: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4865

Video 2

“GLOBE Observer Why Observe?: Tree Height”
Released on 29 October 2020
This video explores surface height measurement missions and the role that citizen science can play within the scientific community. NASA uses field campaigns and sensors on satellites and the International Space Station (ISS) to improve our understanding of how much carbon is being stored in terrestrial ecosystems and how this could change as patterns of drought, fire, and forest ecosystems shift in a changing climate.
Video location: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13571

ENJOY!

Looking at Online Data Tools for Student Research for Trees - Video Tutorials

2020-09-25T15:07:31Z

As you know, there are so many online tools that you can analyze, visualize, and retrieve data and imagery for student and professional research. Our campaign team knows that it can be tough to know just which one(s) to choose to assist in research. Online tools can be used as aides in student research from local to global environments. Comparing ground-based data and imagery, from GLOBE with satellite and airborne data, can serve as an amazing way to focus student research. We also know that teachers and students are extremely busy right now, especially in the global pandemic-driven new way of virtual, in classroom, and hybrid learning.

We have created some great, short video tutorials from our campaign team’s favorite online tools for student research. These tutorials were part of past campaign webinars. We have extracted the tutorials so that students and educators can easily access the content. In many of these videos, you will see our campaign co-lead and online tools and data expert, Peder Nelson, showcasing these tools for student research.

Collect Earth and Open Altimetry are just some examples of our favorite online tools for data and imagery research and analysis

When talking to your students about their potential student research projects for GLOBE IVSS, please direct them to the “Online Tools for Student Research with Video Tutorials page.”

Year 3 of the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Begins 1 September 2020

2020-08-26T15:11:27Z

The current COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way students learn, as many students around the world are engaging in hybrid models of instruction, a combination of classroom and at home (virtual) learning. We understand that this does play a vital role in how students participate in GLOBE data collection and student research.

With all this said, beginning in September 2020, Year 3 of the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign will commence. With participants from over fifty countries, the campaign includes students, educators, citizen scientists, subject matter experts, and scientists from six continents. The campaign focuses on tree height, with a close relationship with land cover, greenings, and carbon cycle. For the last two years, there have been tens of thousands of campaign-related measurements and observations entered into the GLOBE database for the use of student and professional researchers.

As you know, one of the major focuses for this campaign is to have students take tree height, land cover, greenings, and carbon cycle and use this data to develop research projects that focus on the environment in their local areas in order to understand the larger picture of how our planet is changing over time.

The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign will focus on a Thematic Overarching Research Question (TORQ): Why are or why aren't there trees in my local environment? This question will be at the center of the student research, all of which can be directed to the GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS).

The campaign website has gone through a restructuring and we would like to point out the major sections of the newly improved webpages:

Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Landing Page

Learn some basics about the campaign, how to join, and check out the new Year 3 Scaffold Structure

Start Taking Measurements

Learn about the major campaign protocols and how to do them.

Learn about the new multi-campaign collaboration efforts with the European Phenology Campaign, Mission Mosquito, and the Urban Heat Island Effect – Surface Temperature Field Campaign.

Getting Started with Your Student Research and Accessing GLOBE Protocol Data

Learn more about the Thematic Overarching Research Question and how you can help answer this question by using the Exploratory Research Questions as a guide to help answer the TORQ.
Learn about how to access the GLOBE protocol data on the GLOBE Visualization System through several “How-To” videos and how to access the data via the GLOBE Advanced Data Access Tool.

Learn about the campaign’s associated NASA Missions and campaigns

Activities, Resources, Online Tools, Blogs, and Discussion

Learn about some new hands-on activities, resources, and complementary videos that will assist in understanding the real-world science of the GLOBE data collected and observed.

Learn about some of the most important online tools that you can use to compare GLOBE data, create data maps, visualize satellite, and enable data collection.
Learn about current campaign information with campaign blogs.
Be part of the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Discussion Forum.

Webinars

Learn about the upcoming campaign webinars and view archived webinars from year 1 and Year 2.

Our first Year 3 webinar is happening soon: Tuesday, September 15, 2020 @ 2:00pm EDT (6:00pm UTC): Kicking Off Year 3 With Tree Height Research Using Satellites and Ground-Based Instruments: The importance of tree and vegetation research to help us understand our changing planet. Join us for the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign with the first of our featured science talks for Year 3 of the campaign. Dr. Nancy Glenn, a researcher from Boise State University, the University of New South Wales and an ICESat-2 Mission Early Adopter will discuss her research with trees and tree canopy height, reinforcing the importance of research for students, and why tree height and land cover are important to helping us understand our planet. Dr. Glenn will also discuss the use of satellite data from ICESat-2 and Landsat, showcasing how this satellite data can be used in research.

On behalf of our campaign team, Peder Nelson, Dorian Janney, Peter Falcon, Dr. Christopher Shuman, and myself, we hope you will continue to be part of the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign. Please stay safe and healthy and remember to adhere to all local and national rules and regulations.

Are You Comfortable Using the Open Altimetry Online Tool to Compare your Tree Height Data to ICESat-2 Satellite Data?

2020-07-01T16:33:40Z

Did you know that you can compare your GLOBE tree height data to that of the ICESat-2 satellite? You can compare any GLOBE tree height data to ICESat-2 tree height data using the Open Altimetry online tool at http://openaltimetry.org. This online tool is set up to be very user-friendly, but does require a bit of exploration to use it properly.

Below are two tutorials to help you understand how the Open Altimetry tool works and to help you get more comfortable looking at your data and comparing it to the ICESat-2 data for tree height.

NSIDC Open Altimetry Tutorial for Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign

with Amy FitzGerrell from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)

One of the major ways students can perform student research is to compare GLOBE student and citizen science tree height data to height data from the NASA Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). By comparing this data, students can see just how close the satellite tracks over their locations and if certain GLOBE-measured trees have been measured by ICESat-2. Amy FitzGerrell, from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Colorado, guided us with an interactive tutorial of the Open Altimetry online tool.

NASA GO Trees Tool and ICESat 2 Data on Open Altimetry Tutorial

with Brian Campbell from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility (NASA WFF)

This video shows how students, teachers, and citizen scientists can take existing GLOBE Observer data for tree height and compare it to the tree canopy height data from the NASA Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite- or ICESat-2 Mission. The online Open Altimetry Tool allows you to look and see when ICESat-2 flew over or near the location of the tree you have the GLOBE data for already. It is a fun and simple thing to do and helps you become a part of a larger NASA mission.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out the Campaign Lead, Brian Campbell, by CLICKING HERE!

Why the GLOBE European Phenology Campaign is Awesome!

2020-05-28T13:59:40Z

As you know, we are all in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time we all need to take precautions, stay safe, maintain social distancing, and make sure our health is a number 1 priority. With that said, the science doesn't stop, satellites continue to orbit and explore, the Earth continues to turn, and learners of all ages continue to explore.

Our friends at the GLOBE European Phenology Campaign have created a great page, entitled "My tree grows under Covid-19 restrictions" that focuses on greenings and trees in a COVID-19 time and how everyone can continue to participate during this difficult time. There are also some great activities on this page as well. Check it out!

Below, I would like to showcase a wonderful webinar, "Trees in Changing Environment: What Do Scientists Say?"

Also, please see GLOBE's Response to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic.

Celebrating Three Trillion Trees with Arbor Day and the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign

2020-04-24T14:19:07Z

Today, April 24, 2020, is Arbor Day. Arbor Day, much like Earth Day, is a holiday that celebrates nature. Its purpose is to encourage people to plant trees. Did you know that there are an estimated 3,000,000,000,000 trees on Earth? That is a mind-boggling number, isn't it?

Old growth forest in coastal Oregon. Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Trees are a vital component of our Earth system. As trees grow, they help reduce climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and soil, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.

Trees are a vital part of the Tree Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign. The campaign focuses on tree height, the primary indicator of how well an ecosystem can grow trees, but tree circumference can also be assessed. The campaign brings together student research, online tools and datasets for data analysis, comparisons to satellite data, and the development of student research projects for local science fairs, United States SRS, and GLOBE IVSS.

Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Shareable

Complementing the data collection and analysis are the monthly campaign webinars. Webinars are a vital part of the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign. Each month, the webinars focus on the scientific research of trees, bringing in experts from around the world to share their current research experiences with trees and the importance of the GLOBE protocol measurements to understanding our planet's trees and their roles in our Earth's ecosystem.

Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Webinars

During the webinars, researchers from inside and outside of NASA, GLOBE students and teachers, and citizen scientists share their work with trees. To view any of the last 20 campaign webinars, please visit the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Webinar Page.

Please note that due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, we do not recommend going outside and taking NASA GLOBE Observer Observations. Please stay safe and healthy. Researching trees does not mean that you need to go outside and take tree height observations. You can also access all the GLOBE data through the GLOBE website at http://globe.gov/globe-data. This is a really cool way to take a look at all the data that is coming in from around GLOBE and investigate the many different environments and ecosystems, from 124 countries, that are part of the GLOBE community.

You can learn more about GLOBE’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic at:

https://www.globe.gov/news-events/globe-events/coronavirus-pandemic

The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Team wanted to share a just a few great resources with you on this Arbor Day 2020:

Tree Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign

NASA GLOBE Observer Trees Resource Library

NASA GO Trees Tool and ICESat-2 Data on Open Altimetry

NASA Earth Observatory’s Seeing the Forests for the Trees and the Carbon: Mapping the World’s Forests in Three Dimensions

NASA Visualization Explorer’s Mapping Forests Through Time

Mapping Forest Health from Space

NASA Global Climate Change’s Examining the Viability of Planting Trees to Help Mitigate Climate Change

Arbor Day Foundation’s How Trees Fight Climate Change

Happy Arbor Day to all of you!

Sharing Blog: Eyes on Earth Episode 21 - Forests of Ghana

2020-04-17T19:54:42Z

Trees play such a vital role in the world's science, language, cultures, and customs. Trees, even though they help the Earth regulate its climate, are part of global industry, and serve as habitats for millions of living species, are also vital in the personal lives of millions to potentially billions.

The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign would like to share a podcast from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) entitled, "Eyes on Earth Episode 21 - Forests of Ghana."

From the blog description:

"In the West African nation of Ghana, tropical forests are more than landscape. They are woven into language, custom, and culture. They are also the source of timber for home heating and industry, as well as barriers to agricultural production. Those are just a few of the reasons why deforestation has come alongside the nation’s rapid population growth. In this episode of Eyes on Earth, an EROS scientist and Ghana native talks about how Landsat satellites help track deforestation and offer guidance on forest regrowth."

Please take a listen to the blog at https://www.usgs.gov/media/audio/eyes-earth-episode-21-forests-ghana.

Comparing Existing GLOBE Tree Height Data and ICESat-2 Satellite Data

2020-04-06T15:13:07Z

While the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign outdoor data collection has been suspended indefinitely in response to the worldwide pandemic, the Trees campaign team has been working tirelessly to shift gears to a safe approach that does not involve field work.

With that said, I have put together a video that shows how students, teachers, and citizen scientists can compare existing GLOBE data for tree height and compare it to the tree canopy height data from the NASA Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite- or ICESat-2 Mission. The online Open Altimetry Tool allows you to look and see when ICESat-2 flew over or near the location of the tree you have the GLOBE data for already. It is a fun and simple thing to do and helps you become a part of a larger NASA mission. You can also look at corresponding GLOBE Land Cover data, if it exists, for the same location.

Screen shot image of data comparisons between GLOBE tree heights and ICESat-2 tree and canopy heights. Image credits: Brian Campbell

Also, for more information about the GLOBE Program Response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit:

https://www.globe.gov/news-events/globe-events/coronavirus-pandemic and stay safe and healthy.

This should be your priority!

Join Team Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign for the April 2020 Trees Challenge

2020-03-06T19:09:04Z

As you know, April 2020 is all about trees. The NASA GLOBE Observer (NASAGO) is having the Trees Challenge 2020: Make Every Tree Count event for the entire month of April. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and the 25th anniversary of the GLOBE Program, the NASA GLOBE Observer is hosting this month-long citizen science challenge in April 2020. During this challenge, we want to get as many tree height observations from around the GLOBE using the NASAGO App Trees Tool on your mobile devices. If you haven’t downloaded the App yet, please CLICK HERE or type in NASA GLOBE Observer into your search box in the Google Play Store for Android or the App Store for iOS.

Once you have the App, we are asking all members of the Trees Campaign to join “Team Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign.” It is simple to do! Here are the complete steps (please note that many of your have probably already completed many of these steps and all you have to do is join the team.

To participate:

Download the GLOBE Observer app (free on Android or iOS)
Register for a GLOBE Observer account and join Team Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign
1. Visit: https://www.globe.gov/web/team-trees-around-the-globe-student-research-campaign/home
2. Click on Join Team and enter Code: GLIDMD6U
Take the in-app training (Introduction and Tutorial sections) to learn how to measure tree heights. IT’s super simple!
Please share this information with all your friends and family too.
Measure the heights of as many trees as possible.
Make our team victorious.

Every NASAGO Tree Height observation submitted by Team Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign, during April 2020, will be added to our team total. The individuals, schools, and registered teams that measure the most trees will be recognized as top observers in the challenge. For complete information, visit the challenge website, https://observer.globe.gov/trees-2020.

Cheers and please contact me with any questions regarding joining the team!

Brian

Top Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Data Champions for February 2020

2020-04-01T19:35:42Z

February 2020 Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Data Champions

FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2020, HERE ARE THE TOP MOST ACTIVE GLOBE TREES AROUND THE GLOBE TEACHER/STUDENT RESEARCH CAMPAIGN PARTICIPANTS (EXTERNAL TO THE NASA/GLOBE TEAM) TAKING AT LEAST 10 MEASUREMENTS FOR TREE HEIGHT, LAND COVER, AND GREENINGS MEASUREMENTS FOR THE TREES AROUND THE GLOBE STUDENT RESEARCH CAMPAIGN!

THE MAPS REPRESENT THE TOP STUDENT/CAMPAIGN-BASED MEASUREMENT COUNTRIES FOR EACH OF THE THREE MEASUREMENTS.

TREE HEIGHTS (757 Total Measurements/Observations from 354 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

E. Al-Rashedi from GLOBE Saudi Arabia with 58 submitted measurements!

O. Gupta from GLOBE United States with 54 submitted measurements!

I. Kozlicic-Juraga from GLOBE Croatia with 38 submitted measurements!

C. Chareesaen from GLOBE Thailand with 20 submitted measurements!

B. Clemente from GLOBE Philippines with 15 submitted measurements!

K. Pokpun from GLOBE Thailand with 12 submitted measurements!

S. Ćulić from GLOBE Croatia with 10 submitted measurements!

LAND COVER (396 Total Measurements/Observations from 253 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

S. Sahoo from GLOBE India with 10 submitted measurements!

B. Buah from GLOBE Ghana with 10 submitted measurements!

GREENINGS (55 Total Measurements/Observations from 38 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

J. Carstensen from GLOBE United States with 11 submitted measurements!

J. Razlog-Grlica from GLOBE Croatia with 11 submitted measurements!

S. Marković-Zoraja from GLOBE Croatia with 10 submitted measurements!

J. Farrugia from GLOBE Malta with 10 submitted measurements!

Thank you all for the amazing amount of data submitted to the GLOBE database and for helping us all understand the many local environments you represent, presenting all with information that has a global impact!

-Brian Campbell (Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Lead)

Tree Campus K-12: U.S. Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Members can Leverage Their Tree Research

2020-02-21T18:13:52Z

The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign has found a way for campaign-participating schools, to leverage their tree height and tree-related activities to earnsome more awesome recognition. If participating campaign members are collecting tree height data or using tree-related measurements and observations from GLOBE for student-driven research projects and citizen science efforts, member schools are already well on the way to earning Tree Campus K-12 recognition for the currentschool year.

Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, the Arbor Day Foundation has a brand new program for K-12 schools called, “Tree Campus K-12.” According to the Tree Campus K-12 website:

“Tree Campus K-12 inspires collaboration between schools, students, and communities to facilitate experiences with trees as a learning tool. The program encourages schools and educators to create purposeful opportunities for students to interact with trees by offering resources as well as a framework for becoming recognized and celebrating their efforts with their community.”

Students taking tree observations. Image credit: Arbor Day Foundation

For all you Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign members, this program is a great

way to maximize all your tree height and tree research efforts and gain recognition for your

classroom, school, and community.

Through meeting the four program goals and applying for Tree Campus K-12 recognition, you can

Earn recognition for your school's tree-focused GLOBE activities!
Fit your student research into a simple framework, combined with great resources, and gain national recognition to guide and celebrate your efforts to bring the benefits of trees to life.

Elementary school students taking a tree height measurement. Image Credit: Brian Campbell

Visit www.treecampusk12.org today to learn about the program's four goals, get resources to help you celebrate Arbor Day, and start your application.

Top Trees Campaign Data Champions and Land Cover IOP Results for January 2020

2020-01-31T20:35:06Z

January 2020 Trees Campaign Data Champions

FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2020, HERE ARE THE TOP MOST ACTIVE GLOBE TREES AROUND THE GLOBE TEACHER/STUDENT RESEARCH CAMPAIGN PARTICIPANTS (EXTERNAL TO THE NASA/GLOBE TEAM) TAKING AT LEAST 10 MEASUREMENTS FOR TREE HEIGHT, LAND COVER, AND GREENINGS MEASUREMENTS FOR THE TREES AROUND THE GLOBE STUDENT RESEARCH CAMPAIGN!

THE MAPS REPRESENT THE TOP STUDENT/CAMPAIGN-BASED MEASUREMENT COUNTRIES FOR EACH OF THE THREE MEASUREMENTS.

TREE HEIGHTS (1,551 Total Measurements/Observations from 710 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

A. Bielecki from GLOBE Poland with 116 submitted measurements!

M. Parashar from GLOBE India with 114 submitted measurements!

B. Clemente from GLOBE Philippines with 67 submitted measurements!

E. Al-Rashedi from GLOBE Saudi Arabia with 58 submitted measurements!

A. Veseljic from GLOBE Croatia with 49 submitted measurements!

V. Badai from GLOBE Ukraine with 27 submitted measurements!

B. Vasylchyshyn from GLOBE Ukraine with 24 submitted measurements!

A. Prieto from GLOBE Argentina with 14 submitted measurements!

O. Gupta from GLOBE United States with 11 submitted measurements!

LAND COVER (400 Total Measurements/Observations from 229 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

O. Gupta from GLOBE United States with 101 submitted measurements!

A. Prieto from GLOBE Argentina with 21 submitted measurements!

A. Kojundžić from GLOBE Croatia with 10 submitted measurements!

GREENINGS (19 Total Measurements/Observations from 14 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

M. Algarni from GLOBE Saudi Arabia with 10 submitted measurements!

Land Cover 2020 Intensive Observation Period Results

400 Land Cover measurements came in from 229 locations in 10 countries around the world.

The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Team would like to announce the champion for the January 2020 Land Cover Intensive Observation Period:

O. Gupta from GLOBE United States with 101 submitted measurements!

The map below represents the campaign member countries that participated in the 2020 Land Cover IOP.

Thank you all for the amazing amount of data submitted to the GLOBE database and for helping us all understand the many local environments.

-Brian Campbell (Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Lead)

Top Trees Campaign Data Champions for December 2019

2020-01-02T17:57:42Z

December 2019

FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2019, HERE ARE THE TOP MOST ACTIVE GLOBE TREES AROUND THE GLOBE TEACHER/STUDENT RESEARCH CAMPAIGN PARTICIPANTS (EXTERNAL TO THE NASA/GLOBE TEAM) TAKING AT LEAST 10 MEASUREMENTS FOR TREE HEIGHT, LAND COVER, AND GREENINGS MEASUREMENTS FOR THE TREES AROUND THE GLOBE STUDENT RESEARCH CAMPAIGN!

THE MAPS REPRESENT THE TOP STUDENT/CAMPAIGN-BASED MEASUREMENT COUNTRIES FOR EACH OF THE THREE MEASUREMENTS.

TREE HEIGHTS (964 Total Measurements/Observations from 412 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

M. Parashar from GLOBE India with 197 submitted measurements!

E. Al-Rashedi from GLOBE Saudi Arabia with 58 submitted measurements!

A. Kaui from GLOBE Kenya with 15 submitted measurements!

LAND COVER (303 Total Measurements/Observations from 204 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

S. Sahoo from GLOBE India with 10 submitted measurements

GREENINGS (39 Total Measurements/Observations from 14 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

I. Tunjić from GLOBE Croatia with 10 submitted measurements!

S. Twafra from GLOBE Israel with 10 submitted measurements!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR TOP TREES AROUND THE GLOBE STUDENT RESEARCH CAMPAIGN CHAMPIONS!

Student Research Questions and Online Tool Links from Trees Campaign Open Forums I and II

2019-12-05T15:45:27Z

There was a lot of interactive discussions between students, teachers, scientists, and NASA education personnel during the December 3 and December 4 Open Forums for the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign.

Here are the questions that were discussed as potential student research projects related to Trees. Students are invited to use any of these questions, or their own, in developing student research projects. As a reminder, these projects can be submitted to the 2020 GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium due by 10 March 2020!

Below are the links to online tools and program meant to assist students in analyzing and visualizing data for their student research projects

2020 GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium

My NASA Data Earth System: Matter and Energy Cycles

NASA Earth Observatory Carbon Cycle

Map Depicts Global Forest Heights

ICESat GLAS LiDAR-derived Global Estimates of Forest Canopy Height, 2004-2008

GLOBE Leaf Classification

Examining the Viability of Planting Trees to Help Mitigate Climate Change

Global Forest Watch

NASA Worldview

GLOBE Measure Tree Height on a Slope

Finding Oregon's Tallest Trees

Maryland's Oldest Tree: Travilah Oak

2019 National Register of Champion Trees

NOAA Tree Ring Datasets

Top Trees Campaign Data Champions for November 2019

2019-12-04T20:09:45Z

November 2019

FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2019, HERE ARE THE TOP MOST ACTIVE GLOBE TREES AROUND THE GLOBE TEACHER/STUDENT RESEARCH CAMPAIGN PARTICIPANTS (EXTERNAL TO THE NASA/GLOBE TEAM) TAKING AT LEAST 10 MEASUREMENTS FOR TREE HEIGHT, LAND COVER, AND GREENINGS MEASUREMENTS FOR THE TREES AROUND THE GLOBE STUDENT RESEARCH CAMPAIGN!

THE MAPS REPRESENT THE TOP STUDENT/CAMPAIGN-BASED MEASUREMENT COUNTRIES FOR EACH OF THE THREE MEASUREMENTS.

TREE HEIGHTS (883 Total Measurements/Observations from 388 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

M. Parashar from GLOBE India with 82 submitted measurements!

Sanja Ćulić from GLOBE Croatia with 21 submitted measurements!

Y. Kimm from GLOBE Republic of Korea with 13 submitted measurements!

A. Prieto from GLOBE Argentina with 10 submitted measurements!

Y. Lee from GLOBE Taiwan Partnership with 10 submitted measurements!

LAND COVER (564 Total Measurements/Observations from 391 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

A. Kaui from GLOBE Kenya with 36 submitted measurements!

M. Balažinec from GLOBE Croatia with 26 submitted measurements!

GREENINGS (331 Total Measurements/Observations from 63 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

A. Bielecki from GLOBE Poland with 27 submitted measurements!

L. Tivanovac from GLOBE Croatia with 20 submitted measurements!

V. Badai from GLOBE Ukraine with 18 submitted measurements!

I. Mihaljević from GLOBE Croatia with 17 submitted measurements!

M. Dobrzycka from GLOBE Poland with 14 submitted measurements!

A. Veseljic from GLOBE Croatia with 13 submitted measurements!

S. Tokar from GLOBE Ukraine with 13 submitted measurements!

A. Kruzicevic from GLOBE Croatia with 12 submitted measurements!

S. Ćulić from GLOBE Croatia with 12 submitted measurements!

B. Žnidarić from GLOBE Croatia with 11 submitted measurements!

S. Marković-Zoraja from GLOBE Croatia with 10 submitted measurements!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR TOP TREES AROUND THE GLOBE STUDENT RESEARCH CAMPAIGN CHAMPIONS!

October 2019 Top Tree Height, Land Cover, and Greenings Measurements for the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign

2019-12-04T20:10:08Z

October 2019

FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2019, HERE ARE THE TOP MOST ACTIVE GLOBE TREES AROUND THE GLOBE TEACHER/STUDENT RESEARCH CAMPAIGN PARTICIPANTS (EXTERNAL TO THE NASA/GLOBE TEAM) TAKING AT LEAST 10 MEASUREMENTS FOR TREE HEIGHT, LAND COVER, AND GREENINGS MEASUREMENTS FOR THE TREES AROUND THE GLOBE STUDENT RESEARCH CAMPAIGN!

THE MAPS REPRESENT THE TOP STUDENT/CAMPAIGN-BASED MEASUREMENT COUNTRIES FOR EACH OF THE THREE MEASUREMENTS.

TREE HEIGHTS (1,341 Total Measurements/Observations from 608 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

A. Majkut from GLOBE Poland with 196 submitted measurements!

J. Less from GLOBE United States with 56 submitted measurements!

S. Marković-Zoraja from GLOBE Croatia with 33 submitted measurements!

B. Vasylchyshyn from GLOBE Ukraine with 28 submitted measurements!

V. Badai from GLOBE Ukraine with 28 submitted measurements!

R. Pogoželskienė from GLOBE Lithuania with 27 submitted measurements!

K. Mohammed-Ali from GLOBE Trinidad and Tobago with 15 submitted measurements!

Y. Kimm from GLOBE Republic of Korea with 13 submitted measurements!

J. Razlog-Grlica from GLOBE Croatia with 11 submitted measurements!

The map below represents only those country locations for Trees Campaign Members taking Land Cover Measurements.

LAND COVER (776 Total Measurements/Observations from 613 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

A. Majkut from GLOBE Poland with 279 submitted measurements!

K. Mohammed-Ali from GLOBE Trinidad and Tobago with 11 submitted measurements!

The map below represents only those country locations for Trees Campaign Members taking Land Cover Measurements.

GREENINGS (578 Total Measurements/Observations from 72 locations)

Data Measurement Champions

B. Vasylchyshyn from GLOBE Ukraine with 75 submitted measurements!

K. Trstenjak from GLOBE Croatia with 33 submitted measurements!

N. Boyko from GLOBE Ukraine with 31 submitted measurements!

K. Stankevičienė from GLOBE Lithuania with 28 submitted measurements!

R. Ivanauskiene from GLOBE Lithuania with 27 submitted measurements!

V. Berteškienė from GLOBE Lithuania with 27 submitted measurements!

A. Bielecki from GLOBE Poland with 25 submitted measurements!

L. Tyshchenko from GLOBE Ukraine with 25 submitted measurements!

R. Alkimaviciene from GLOBE Lithuania with 25 submitted measurements!

J. Carstensen from GLOBE United States with 24 submitted measurements!

V. Serpenskiene from GLOBE Lithuania with 23 submitted measurements!

M. Dobrzycka from GLOBE Poland with 22 submitted measurements!

R. Gaidiene from GLOBE Lithuania with 15 submitted measurements!

A. Veseljic from GLOBE Croatia with 14 submitted measurements!

I. Vevere from GLOBE Latvia with 14 submitted measurements!

S. Tokar from GLOBE Ukraine with 14 submitted measurements!

I. Stipoljev from GLOBE Croatia with 13 submitted measurements!

L. Kirpichko from GLOBE Ukraine with 13 submitted measurements!

A. Dendyk from GLOBE Ukraine with 12 submitted measurements!

J. Razlog-Grlica from GLOBE Croatia with 12 submitted measurements!

A. Kruzicevic from GLOBE Croatia with 11 submitted measurements!

M. Tumko from GLOBE Ukraine with 11 submitted measurements!

The map below represents only those country locations for Trees Campaign Members taking Greenings Measurements.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!