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


Hello from Medford Memorial Middle School in Medford, New Jersey. The quest to get an accurate soil sample continues at Medford Memorial Middle School, Medford NJ. Hello, we are the students of Memorial’s Citizen Science Education Program. We’re excited to be part of the SMAP campaign, but have not yet been able to enter any data.  Here’s a brief overview of our journey. First, we learned about SMAP as a satellite, and then we studied the protocol. We didn’t have any soil sample cans, so we settled on a sturdy coffee can, Ryan had brought in from home. Ashwin measured 5 cm from ...


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


Guest Blog by NASA SMAP Scientists Dr. Erika Podest and Dr. Narendra Das of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California USA. SMAP scientists are using soil moisture in a number of ways, ways that allow all of us to better understand water’s role on Earth: Weather Prediction : Water in the soil has the potential to evaporate (depending on atmospheric temperature and pressure) and when it does it plays a large role in cloud formation. Soil moisture also has a modulating effect on air temperature and humidity therefore having the ability to measure soil moisture ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: SMAP   GLOBE Science Topics: EARTH AS A SYSTEM SCIENTIST SKILLS EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE GENERAL SCIENCE GLOBE PROTOCOLS   Investigation Areas: PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Have you ever wondered how the SMAP satellite, with an altitude of 685 km (425 miles) above the Earth, can take measurements as precise as the amount of water in the Earth's soil? The quick answer is that it requires precisely calibrated instruments, along with a technological marvel in satellite design. SMAP was designed to use a combination of two precise instruments, one with high resolution, one with high accuracy. THE INSTRUMENTS: Active (High Resolution): SMAP’s radar was designed accurately measure the echoes of very short radio frequency (RF) pulses that bounce ...


Posted in: Curriculum: SCIENCE AND MATH TECHNOLOGY   Field Campaigns: SMAP   GLOBE Science Topics: EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE   Investigation Areas: PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


The SMAP Mission is vital to understanding our planet. Water is an essential source for life. By understanding the amount of water in the soil, or soil moisture, we can apply this information to many things. Monitoring Drought SMAP monitors soil moisture and provides critical information for drought early warning. In fact, a deficit in the amount of moisture in the soil defines agricultural drought. SMAP's measurements will come into play because researchers forecast a threefold increase in drought frequency in many regions of the world by the end of the 21st Century. ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: SMAP   GLOBE Science Topics: GLOBE PROTOCOLS   Investigation Areas: PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Weekly Report 1: 10/1/15 - 10/15/15 This report contains two weeks of data collection due to the beginning of the campaign on October 1, 2015: Volumetric Soil Moisture Measurements = 19 Participating Sites = 4 Schools Submitting Data: Shumate Middle School - Michigan - 8 data counts Ramey School - Puerto Rico -7 data counts The University of Toledo -Ohio - 2 data counts Thomas Edison Energy/Smart Charter School - New Jersey - 2 data counts Congratulations to those schools for getting a great start. Let's get more schools participating! Brian


Posted in: Curriculum: SCIENCE AND MATH   Field Campaigns: SMAP   GLOBE Science Topics: GLOBE PROTOCOLS   Investigation Areas: PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   News Topics: COMPETITIONS   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS COUNTRY COORDINATORS