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GISN & STEM Professional's Blog
The GLOBE International STEM Network (GISN) and STEM Professional's Blog is an online collaborative effort where scientists associated with GLOBE post their thoughts, comments, and philosophies about a variety of science topics.
GLOBE strongly encourages positive and productive discussions to further advance the scientific understanding of all involved with The GLOBE Program.
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Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2013/01/23/trees-in-trouble-what-affect-does-tree-mortality-have-on-climate-change/
Through our trees in trouble series, we’ve examined trees in the Sahel zone in Africa and the United States . This problem, climate change and dying trees, has been seen on every continent, the only exception being Antarctica, due to the lack of vegetation on the frozen continent. Scientists have recently found that there is an alarming loss rate of big, old trees, whose ages range ...
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GLOBE Science Topics:
GENERAL SCIENCE
CLIMATE CHANGE
CLIMATE
Investigation Areas:
ATMOSPHERE
BIOSPHERE
Blog previously posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2013/01/16/a-tale-of-two-extremes/
Weather extremes have become a common theme in the news headlines the past few weeks. For example, nearly every part of the United States has been experiencing one of two extremes – either frigid cold or record-breaking high temperatures. Places like Arizona and California experienced below-freezing temperatures, which can have potential impacts on the crops grown in these typically balmy regions. In contrast, cities in the Southeast U.S., such as ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2013/01/11/globe-at-ams-sharing-our-community/
This week I attended the 93rd Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in Austin, TX. I started attending eight years ago as a senior undergraduate meteorology major at Millersville University. That first year, I'll admit, was very overwhelming - great minds from various expertises within the Earth Sciences came together to share ideas and present their recent research. The meeting brings many ...
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Most trees obtain water through their massive root systems, but did you know that some trees can absorb water through their leaves as well? This ability is called foliar uptake. Scientists recently discovered that trees in cloud forests use foliar uptake to obtain water. A cloud forest is a forest that has persistent or seasonally persistent fog or low-level cloud cover. Cloud forests are usually in the tropics or subtropics, have evergreen trees (trees that don’t lose their leaves) and tend to have a lot of mosses and vegetation in the understory of the trees.
Cloud Forest ...
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GLOBE Science Topics:
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE
Investigation Areas:
EARTH AS A SYSTEM
BIOSPHERE
GLOBE’s Earth as a System investigation area cultivates students’ awareness of an intricate web of global connections. Similar to real world scientists, students explore life science concepts, learning that “ organisms can only survive where their needs are met. ” The Earth as a System investigation area encourages students to observe patterns and connections, such as through phenology. Phenology is the study of how living organisms respond to seasonal changes in their environment. Only through observing and measuring can we notice if changes are occurring and how they occur. ...
Posted in:
GLOBE Science Topics:
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE
Investigation Areas:
EARTH AS A SYSTEM
Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/12/19/the-chicken-and-egg-story-of-global-warming-and-extreme-droughts-a-lesson-on-climate-feedbacks/
I recently read that the extreme drought in western North America during 2000-2004 actually resulted in more carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. In the article in Nature Geoscience , it explained that such droughts can further enhance global warming. When a drought occurs, the plants wither and die and no longer uptake carbon dioxide (normally living plants serve as a ...
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GLOBE Science Topics:
CLIMATE
CLIMATE CHANGE
Storm Coming Across US
If you live in the United States, you probably have heard of the snow storm crossing the country right now. There will be mountain snow in the Rockie Mountains, a potential for a blizzard from Nebraska to Wisconsin and then some snow to the Great Lakes states.
The National Weather Service (NWS) definition of a blizzard is:
"A blizzard means that the following conditions are expected to prevail for a period of 3 hours or longer:
Sustained wind or frequent gusts to 35 miles an hour or greater; and
Considerable falling and/or ...
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Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/12/12/the-common-thread-between-science-and-art-creativity/
When you examine a seashell, a crystal, the skin of a snake or the wings of a butterfly, what do you think about? Art? Science? Or the obvious connection between the two? At the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco, CA last week, thousands of scientists, including myself, found ourselves examining the intersection of science and art through a wide variety of ...
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Curriculum:
LANGUAGE CULTURE AND ARTS
SCIENCE AND MATH
Lane Community College will be embarking on a comprehensive water quality study for Russel Creek Watershed. It owns property near the headwaters of the creek and it passes through sensitive wetlands that LCC also owns. We will monitor water quality monthly upstream and downstream from the campus as instruments are acquired. Russel Creek is an ephemeral stream. First measurements 12-07-12 at the upstream sampling site near the LCC Learning Garden (our SWS-06 site).
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Field Campaigns:
WATERSHEDS
Investigation Areas:
HYDROSPHERE
Learning Activities:
HYDROLOGY
The GLOBE surface temperature field campaign started this week with some record warm temperatures in the United States. Students in much of the United States enjoyed short sleeve weather for several days.
Schools have started to post observations on the GLOBE website. The GLOBE website has been changed dramatically over the last year. The GLOBE Program Office will be adding all teachers in a bulk transfer from the old database in the near future. Many teachers have also signed up on the GLOBE webpage http://www.globe.gov and the help desk has set them up so they can enter data. ...
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Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/11/28/enso-basics-whats-up-with-the-weather/
In the first post in this series, we looked at what ENSO is. Remember that the atmosphere and oceans are always moving, and in general, those movements follow a specified pattern. When the movement deviates from normal, to either an El Niño or La Niña, weather conditions in different regions of the world will respond.
But who feels these effects first? Usually, equatorial countries that border the Pacific Ocean. But even these countries ...
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Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/11/20/globe-and-adaptation-to-climate-change/
One of the most significant technology improvements in modern life is our ability to accurately forecast future events. Weather forecasts now routinely extend for five days. The recent flooding on the East Coast of the United States was forecast days in advance. The cause was an unusual merger of two storms to create a super storm – Super Storm Sandy. Atmospheric models correctly predicted that a winter storm coming from the north and a ...
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Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/11/14/esno-basics-what-is-it/
Through many posts here on the Scientists’ Blog, we, in one way or another, discuss ENSO. ENSO, or El Niño-Southern Oscillation, is a quasi-periodic climate pattern that occurs in the tropical Pacific Ocean. When the conditions change, the atmosphere responds in many different ways. In certain locations, it is cloudier and it rains more, while in others it’s clear and dry. Through our “ENSO Basics” series, we’ll take a look at ENSO ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/11/08/non-stationarity-new-vocabulary-for-a-changing-climate/
A few years ago I attended a workshop for early career scientists to discuss frontiers in integrated water-climate-society vulnerability and adaptation science. This interdisciplinary area of science focuses on the need for using scientific information to not only identify communities that are vulnerable to climate change, but to also help create effective approaches for communities to adapt to climate change. Since every ...
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GLOBE Science Topics:
CLIMATE
CLIMATE CHANGE
Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/11/01/full-circle-superior-part-iv-changing-superior-changing-industry/
This week we pick back up on our Full Circle Superior Series. In 2010 Mike Link and Kate Crowley chose to walk around the largest fresh water lake in the world – Lake Superior which has shoreline in both Canada and the United States. This 1555 mile/145 day walk was the first ever by a couple and the first to attempt to stay on the shoreline. Because Mike and Kate are educators in their sixties they wanted ...
Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/10/24/as-the-last-leaf-falls/
This was my first year doing the Green-Down Protocol with GLOBE. I am trained as an atmospheric scientist, so I have taken many atmospheric measurements over the course of my career. I had not ventured into the world of phenology until I joined GLOBE. More so, I am intrigued by this field of Earth Science, since it is closely connected to climate and can be a very good indicator of a climate change.
This year, as part of the GLOBE Phenology and ...
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GLOBE Science Topics:
GLOBE PROTOCOLS
Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/10/19/supercomputing-and-climate-research-high-resolution-long-time-simulations-to-improve-our-understanding/
Have you ever watched a newscast and the on-air meteorologist mentions “according to our weather models, our best chances for rain will occur between the hours of 6 and 9 pm”? Have you wondered what exactly are those models they’re talking about?
A weather model is a series of equations that take a look at an initial state of the atmosphere (such as the temperature, ...
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GLOBE Science Topics:
GENERAL SCIENCE
CLIMATE
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/10/05/xpedition-review-reflections-back-and-looking-ahead/
To say that the journey to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro was a success would not do justice to the wonderful personal and scientific experiences the team had. From taking the first steps toward the summit on Sunday 23 September to summiting the following week and boarding flights to return home, each team member gained something that will stay with them forever.
Collecting data in the rainforest ...
Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/10/04/xpedition-day-ten-mweka-camp-to-park-gate/
Monday, 1 October was the final day of The Xpedition. After an exciting summit day, the team continues on their descent and is picked up to head back to Arusha, where they will enjoy a well-deserved meal.
Unloading the equipment after a successful trip
Throughout the entire journey, the team relied on the use of porters, who are local Tanzanians who carry equipment up the mountain. These porters are essential to a ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/10/03/xpedition-day-nine-special-crater-camp-to-summit-to-mweka-camp/
On Sunday, 30 September, the team made it to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The summit sits at 5,895 m (19,340 ft) above sea level. What a fantastic accomplishment for the team!
Team at the summit
Hiking on a glacier near the summit
After the team spendt time celebrating their success, they began their descent, stopping at 3,200 m (10,498 ft) at Mweka Camp. To celebrate the ...
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