Stars and STEM Stories
GLOBE United States: UNH Researchers and Students Use GLOBE Green-Up Protocol to Observe Seasonal Changes
In the spring of 2026, researchers and graduate students at the University of New Hampshire used GLOBE’s Green-Up protocol to complement their research using automated field cameras to monitor seasonal changes. The Convergent Arctic Research Perspectives and Education (CARPE) program at UNH has been monitoring Spruce Hole Bog in Durham, New Hampshire (USA), since 2022, with a focus on changing seasonal trends. In southeastern New Hampshire, winters are typically cold and snowy with warm, moist summers. The CARPE team observes the transitional shoulder season, also known as the vernal window, that begins when all the snow has melted and ends in late spring with a fully developed forest canopy.
The CARPE program is a National Science Foundation-sponsored graduate traineeship that supports UNH masters and PhD students as they study complex socio-ecological challenges of changing seasonality in the Arctic. A multi-disciplinary team of graduate students, faculty, and researchers design and implement research projects as well as co-produce knowledge about the changing seasonal trends with Arctic residents, local stakeholders, and Indigenous communities. Part of the program includes a 5-day workshop with GLOBE Partners at the University of Alaska Fairbanks International Arctic Research Center in Fairbanks, Alaska (USA).
UNH graduate student Claudia Guillot-Wallace said, “I didn’t have any interaction with GLOBE protocols until we took our CARPE trip to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to do a workshop. There I learned about what GLOBE is and how to make measurements correctly.”
In addition to their work in Arctic communities, the researchers are also working with their local community in Durham. During the spring 2026 semester, Dr. Elizabeth Burakowski and her students collaborated with the town's Land Stewardship Subcommittee on the Spruce Hole Bog Conservation Area, a unique kettle hole bog on land owned and maintained by the town. The area is recognized as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.
The Research at Spruce Hole Bog
Researchers were interested in working at Spruce Hole Bog since they already had 4 years of data from multiple sensors at the location, giving them an opportunity to explore some interesting research questions. “We thought it would be a missed opportunity to not create a research project that was meaningful to our local collaborators and faculty members,” said Dr. Burakowski, “and that already had data readily available for us to work with.”
CARPE students initially installed automated field cameras at the bog in 2022 for a course taught by Dr. Alexandra Contosta. The cameras collect red, green, and blue (RGB) images and from this they calculated the green chromatic coordinate (GCC) for the site. GCC is a metric used in plant science to measure the "greenness" of vegetation by analyzing distinct wavelengths of color (RGB) in digital imagery from the field cameras, based on a selected region of interest in the camera view (e.g., you could pick a polygon to focus on and eliminate non-green components, like large rocks, the sky, etc.).
Over time, the cameras showed that the Spruce Hole Bog green-up date (defined as reaching 50% of the maximum GCC value) had occurred within the same 4-day window, between 12 and 15 May.
Incorporating GLOBE into the Research
In spring 2026, the research team used the GLOBE Green-Up protocol to compare with the camera-derived green-up dates. GLOBE’s protocol includes observation of four buds on one branch of a tree to determine when the buds begin to swell and open (budburst), and finally measurements of the leaves as they open and grow to full length.
The graduate students enjoyed using the GLOBE Green-Up protocol in their research. Darlyn Chavez said, “The protocol files were accessible, easy to follow, and straightforward to implement. An added benefit in this process was having a GLOBE specialist (Haley Wicklein, GLOBE Partner at the Leitzel Center at UNH) available to assist with set-up.”
“When we decided to use GLOBE for some of the work at Spruce Hole Bog,” said Claudia, “it just made sense as it was an easy and accessible way to do a comparison between our data taken through GLOBE measurements and the data we were seeing based on the sensors we had placed out there.”
Sharing the results
Below is a plot of the GCC data (the blue line) collected from the field cameras at Spruce Hole Bog’s north-facing site with the GLOBE green-up data (the colored bars) overlaid. The colors of the bars indicate phenophase (i.e., red is dormant, orange is swelling, light green is budburst, and dark green is lengthening). The bars widen over time as the leaves expand. There are four trees total at the site and four leaves monitored per tree. Unfortunately, when the semester ended, students were gone and Dr. Burakowski was traveling, right during the peak green-up window; GLOBE data were not collected at the calculated green-up. Although the timing didn’t work for observing peak green-up, overall, the GLOBE field measurements matched the camera data throughout the season.
The graduate students developed a pamphlet and summarized key points in a presentation to the Town of Durham Land Stewardship committee. The pamphlet discusses, among other ideas, the students’ data on the variability of the timing of snowmelt and vegetation green-up, which both impact the timing of the vernal window. From the pamphlet: “Green-up dates stayed within a range of 3–4 days, while snowmelt dates varied more.”
Advice from UNH Graduate Students to Younger Students Interested in STEM Careers
From Claudia Guillot-Wallace: “My advice to those interested in getting into STEM fields would be to say yes to any opportunity at all that allows you to gain new experiences. Experiences are important as they allow us to determine which parts of doing science, we enjoy the most. It is equally important to understand what you don’t enjoy doing, not just what you enjoy doing! Any opportunity that allows you to gain a new skill or learn something about yourself is incredibly useful.”
From Darlyn Chavez: “Like with any commitment, do your own research! There are so many exciting fields within STEM that choosing a program or direction can feel overwhelming. Exploring your options can help you find the path that best fits your interest. Most importantly, follow your passion and stay curious.”
Acknowledgments
Thank you to the U.S. GLOBE Partners at the Leitzel Center at UNH, particularly Haley Wicklein, for supporting the students and researchers in adding GLOBE to their bog study.
Learn more about GLOBE United States.
Story courtesy of the GLOBE United States office.
Photos courtey of the University of New Hampshire.