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As you may know, the NASA Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) will launch on September 15, 2018 from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA. The ICESat-2 satellite will use an on-board laser altimeter system to measure the height of Earth. Measurements of ice sheets, sea ice, bodies of water, mountains are all part of what ICESat-2 will measure. For our collaboration with The GLOBE Program, we want to focus on one exciting variable that the ICESat-2 satellite will measure, TREE HEIGHT! GLOBE has several ways to measure tree height. You can find them ...

The South Dakota Discovery Center is issuing a call for water transparency data from lakes, streams, rivers, ponds in South Dakota using a turbidity (or transparency) tube,  often referred to as a t-tube since both transparency and turbidity start with the letter t.   The t-tube is a simple instrument. It is a tall, transparent tube of at least 120 centimeters that is marked off in centimeters on the side. On the bottom is a quadrant pattern of alternating black and white sections. You can measure the clarity of the water by measuring the depth of the water in the...

The GLOBE Observer app (available for iPhones and Android devices) is a new, step-by-step way to submit cloud observations to NASA. Use your GLOBE sign-in information to sync your observations with your GLOBE data entry.  Here are some simple tips and tricks on how to better identify clouds while using the app. Your latitude, longitude, and time of day with be filled in automatically by the app!   1. What does your sky look like? Is your sky completely clear with no contrails? Are there clouds or is the sky obscured that it makes it difficult to make any...

Every year, I offer a field based professional learning opportunity (PLO) for educators. This year's PLO was Exploring Badlands National Park through Science and Storytelling  held June 18-21 in South Dakota. Nine educators spent one day in class and three days and two nights in Badlands National Park doing hydrology field studies using GLOBE protocols (water temperature, water clarity, conductivity and pH) in addition to other opportunities. As part of my own professional learning, I set myself a challenge of trying to tell the story of the field studies in ways other than...

Hi, every one, you remember that fall where Tony got rescued long ago in his youth? Well we were there and the place is so beautiful and inviting. No wonder the lad had to take a risk and climb it without ropes. It was nice place and the student field task there was exciting. But please take note if you are going to be at the Lower Toc, getting wet is very normal, and not shorts for your sake. Francis