Stars and STEM Stories
GLOBE Ireland: Students Collect Precipitation and pH Data Across Europe as Part of Rainfall and Flooding Campaign
GLOBE Ireland just wrapped up another successful precipitation and pH monitoring period as part of its Climate Resilience: Rainfall and Flooding campaign. The primary focus of the campaign was to collect precipitation (rain depth) and pH data in schools across Ireland, although it was also open to schools across Europe. Students also learned about climate resilience and how they could make their schools “spongier” through nature-based solutions.
During the campaign, GLOBE Ireland sent out an equipment pack to each registered school, which included a rain gauge and pH strips. Students at each school secured their rain gauge to a fence or post in an appropriate location for the duration of the 4-week monitoring period (12 January–6 February 2026). During this period, rain gauges were checked and emptied every day, and the precipitation data collected was uploaded to the GLOBE Observer database. The pH of the collected precipitation was also measured at least twice a week if there had been enough rainfall, and these data were recorded. Participating schools also carried out additional activities to assess the rainfall resilience of their schools, learn about nature-based solutions (NbS), and devise ways to implement NbS measures on their school grounds to improve rainfall resilience.
More than 110 Irish schools participated in the campaign this year, with 19 additional schools joining from Croatia, Ukraine, Malta, Greece, and Belgium. The monitoring period happened to fall during an unusually wet January and February, which saw large amounts of rain and flooding hit different parts of Ireland. The wet weather did not dampen the spirits of participants, who contributed time and data to the GLOBE community. Schools measured daily precipitation totals as high as 47.7 mm (Presentation Secondary School, Kerry), with seven schools measuring over 40 mm on 27 January, when Storm Chandra hit the south and east coast of Ireland. Due to the high levels of precipitation, schools had ample opportunities to test the pH value of their collected rainfall. The modal rainfall pH value was 6.3, with little spatial variation.
GLOBE Ireland also hosted a Teacher Training webinar prior to the campaign to prepare educators for the upcoming data collection. During the campaign, GLOBE Ireland hosted an Expert Webinar on 20 January, where experts in the fields of meteorology and flooding from NASA, MET Éireann, and Trinity College Dublin gave engaging presentations on the work they do and why the work students were doing was important. It was fascinating to see how precipitation data are being used to better understand the weather systems at play around the globe! Students from Ireland, Croatia, and Ukraine also shared their findings and projects from the campaign at the Student Sharing Webinar on 10 February.
Learn more about GLOBE Ireland.
Story and images courtesy of Sorcha O’Carolan Murphy, GLOBE Ireland deputy country coordinator.