Community Blogs

Community Blogs

Discover how the GLOBE community is engaging in all things GLOBE through the community blog posts below.

Learn how to create a GLOBE community blog post

 


 

Asset Publisher


Blogs List


As you know, the theme for Phase II of the ENSO Student Research Campaign is "Taking Data to the Next Level!" For our U.S. schools, teachers, and partners, GLOBE has just announced the 2017 series of Regional Student Research Symposia (previously called GLOBE Regional Science Fairs). This is an opportune time to take your data to the next level. As the campaign lead, I will advise you to contact me at any time about how to get involved. We have a great campaign team from around the world. Learn more HERE! My email is Brian.A.Campbell@nasa.gov


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TRAINERS STUDENTS TEACHERS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Have you ever wondered how NASA Earth observing satellites are able to ground truth their data? What about satellites that collect data over the ocean? Is it ever possible to compare actual in situ data with data that is collected using remote sensing? It just so happens that there are several NASA scientists who will be doing just that- and more- from January 24 th through February 20 th ! And, those of us who are involved in the GLOBE Program have been specially invited to participate in several aspects of this research. We are going to hear from Dr. Ivona Cetinic, the lead ...


Posted in: Curriculum: SCIENCE AND MATH   Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   GLOBE Science Topics: EARTH AS A SYSTEM SCIENTIST SKILLS CLIMATE CHANGE   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TEACHERS STUDENTS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI


One of NASA's scientists, Dr. Stephanie Uz, has been working closely with the GLOBE ENSO Campaign throughout its beginning. She is an oceanographer who studies the response of ocean biology to physical forcing through remotely sensed satellite data, in situ measurements, model output and statistical reconstructions using proxies. Her research focuses on variability in global ocean color or chlorophyll concentrations, the pigment in microscopic phytoplankton, and the physical mechanisms causing those changes. Dr. Uz coordinates communication for the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean ...


Posted in: Curriculum: EDUCATION RESEARCH SCIENCE AND MATH TECHNOLOGY   Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   GLOBE Science Topics: EARTH AS A SYSTEM SCIENTIST SKILLS EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE CLIMATE CHANGE CLIMATE   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE BIOSPHERE   Learning Activities: EARTH AS A SYSTEM ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE HYDROLOGY   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS   Teacher's Guide: INVESTIGATION AREA DOCUMENTS


In most scientific research an important test is whether the results of an experiment can be repeated, typically repeated by another lab and research group. A result that cannot be confirmed in this way is generally viewed as invalid. This is a great test for controlled experiments where virtually identical experimental conditions may be achieved. In Earth science research involving observations of the natural world, experimental conditions cannot be reproduced. For environmental research the standard must switch for repeatable to intercomparable – capable of being compared. ...


Posted in: GLOBE Science Topics: GENERAL SCIENCE EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE BACKYARD SCIENCE GLOBE PROTOCOLS   Investigation Areas: HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) ATMOSPHERE BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI


As you might know, Phase II of the GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign is in full force! Are you an OFFICIAL MEMBER? If not, you are missing out on vital updates and potential collaboration with other GLOBE schools from around the world. We have already had 3 webinars for Phase II. CLICK HERE TO JOIN TODAY! Did you know that approximately 50,000 automated and non-automated measurements are uploaded by students, teachers, and automated systems every week? You might think that is a lot of data, and it is, but the Earth is a really big place and we need as much data as we can ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   GLOBE Working Groups: SCIENCE WORKING GROUP   Investigation Areas: PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


The GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign wants to hear how you are collaborating with other GLOBE schools – or how you would like to collaborate in the future. Create a slide and send it in by 13 November so that it can be shared during the upcoming 15 November webinar . What better way to show your students that they are a valuable part of the GLOBE community than by sharing a slide that shows how you are using collaboration as a tool? The theme of the webinar is “Collaboration." Three GLOBE teachers (Audra Edwards, Peggy Foletta, and Mike Jabot), will share some of their ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Learning Activities: SOIL   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


A few months ago, scientists and researchers gave La Niña a slim-to-none chance of forming..... BUT..... recent weather and climate models are now saying that La Niña has a 70% chance of taking shape, albeit a weak one. Check out this cool article by NOAA's Climate research group.


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Let's talk about collaboration? Collaboration is a way to share your research, measurements, and ideas with others that have similar goals and interests. Collaboration is about much more than just sharing data or sharing techniques, it is about leveraging the expertise of others with your own, and combining them into a "POWERPACK" of results. During our current Phase II of the GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign, we are "Taking Data to the Next Level!" One way to maximize this effort is to work with other schools from around the GLOBE community to answer big questions regarding the ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: SOIL MOISTURE - SMAP BLOCK PATTERN PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


How hot was August 2016?   It was the hottest August in the last 136 years of modern meteorological record keeping? On Sept. 12, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) posted its monthly analysis of global temperatures for August 2016. The analysis by the GISS team is assembled from publicly available data acquired by about 6,300 meteorological stations around the world; ship- and buoy-based instruments measuring sea surface temperature; and Antarctic research stations. "Monthly rankings, which vary by only a few hundredths of a degree, are inherently ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Have you been taking lots of GLOBE data for the El Niño Student Research Campaign? Now that you have all the data, what can you do with it? There are lots of cool ways to make sense of your data by sharing your WATER STORIES via the H2yOu Project and El Niño stories via the Story Maps Project . By analyzing your El Niño protocol data, you can develop stories that will tell the rest of the world how the El Niño phenomena has affected your area. Perhaps students in other parts of the world have collected data similar to yours. You can also take your data and develop a project ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Earlier this summer, scientists predicted about a 75% chance of a La Niña following the El Niño from 2015-2016. But now, a La Niña is most likely not going to happen, with a 40% chance as of September. Last Spring, waters in the Pacific Ocean seemed to be cooling off. This is an indicator of a La Niña weather pattern. Scientists have now noticed that these water temperatures have been leveling off, thus decreasing the chance of a La Niña event. The current ENSO period of neutrality will continue into the Fall. Monthly sea surface temperature in the Niño 3.4 region of the ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Mark Your Calendars!!! The GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign will continue with Phase II. The official commencement of Phase II will be at the Wednesday, September 21, 2016 at 8:00pm EDT (12:00 am September 22nd UTC). Please visit the WEBINAR page to sign up and join us in celebrating the beginning of another year of the ENSO Student Research Campaign.  


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Primary Audience: TEACHERS TRAINERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS COUNTRY COORDINATORS ALUMNI


As you might know, NASA came out with a statement that July 2016 was the hottest month on record, ever! Since the 2015-2016 El Niño event began in October 2015, each month has set a new record for the hottest month on record. Even though we are currently in a period of neutrality, we are on the tails of an El Niño and quite possibly about to enter a La Niña. "Since October 2015, every month has set a new global record for hottest temperatures. It coincides with an unusually strong El Niño Pattern which caused severe heat and drought across Southeast Asia, as well as raising ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Plants need light to grow. They also require nutrients. For tiny marine plants, called phytoplankton, those nutrients are often brought up from the ocean’s cold, deep waters to the surface by mixing. But this normal circulation gets disrupted during El Niño years, when huge masses of warm water—equivalent to about half of the volume of the Mediterranean Sea—slosh east across the Pacific Ocean towards South America. The change can have fatal consequences for phytoplankton in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Here is the full story with associated images and video!


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


10. El Niño Student Campaign Refresher and Update -  Wednesday, September 21st, 2016 8:00 pm EDT (12:00 am September 22nd UTC) In this hour-long webinar, participants will get a refresher on this campaign, and will hear from several GLOBE teachers who have been involved with their classes from the start of the campaign. We will discuss the need for ongoing data collection and share the current state of the ENSO cycle.  We will have a NASA scientist discuss the current state of the ENSO cycle and what it might mean for weather conditions for the remainder of this campaign. ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Water Availability can be defined as "The hydrologic capacity of a water source (surface water body, groundwater, municipal water) to sustain additional water demands after considering other current water uses and water conditions. (GEMI, 2012) The Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission provides information on water availability and environmental stress for estimating plant productivity and potential yield. The availability of direct observations of soil moisture status and the timing and extent of potential frost damage from SMAP enables significant improvements in operational crop ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: SMAP   Primary Audience: TRAINERS STUDENTS TEACHERS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


The freezing and thawing of our planet's soil can make a big impact on our climate. Check out the blog below to see just how important this is. SMAP’s focus also includes measurements of freeze/thaw, which tells us whether the land surface is frozen or thawed in areas north of 45-degree north latitude. This is very important to know, because when the vegetation is frozen there is minimal exchange of gasses (CO2 primarily) between the vegetation and the atmosphere. It’s as if the vegetation were in a state of hibernation. This changes however, when spring begins and temperature rises ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: SMAP   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


"The Atlanta Science Festival is an annual public celebration of local science and technology. From March 19-26, 2016, curious people of all ages will explore the science and technology in our region and see how science is connected to all parts of our lives in 100 engaging events, including hands-on activities, facility tours, presentations, and performances throughout the metro Atlanta region." --- http://atlantasciencefestival.org/ On Saturday, March 19, there was a GLOBE/SMAP Training Workshops at the Captain Planet Foundation. Participants learned how to take soil ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: SMAP   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


The SMAP Mission satellite launched on 31-January 2015 from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  Check out the video below to watch it take off!  


Posted in: Field Campaigns: SMAP   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


How do SMAP Scientists Use GLOBE Data (Part II)? Data Analysis and Blog by Dr. Erika Podest, SMAP Scientist In order to start using GLOBE soil moisture data we need at least 15 measurements collected on days when SMAP flew overhead. The Varazdin School is an example of such and the chart below is a comparison between their data and SMAP soil moisture at 36 km 2 spatial resolution. Figure 2: Comparison between SMAP and GLOBE soil moisture from Varazdin school in Croatia. There are several things to note in Fig. 2. First, GLOBE measurements collected early on did not ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: SMAP   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS

— 20 Items per Page
Showing 1 - 20 of 26 results.