News - National Wildlife Federation - Eco-Schools USA
Phase II of GLOBE El Niño – Now “ENSO” – Student Research Campaign Ramps Up
Phase II - 2016-2017 of the GLOBE El Niño Field Campaign has begun – with a new name: GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign.
El Niño and La Niña are important climatic phenomenon that can have impacts on the climate globally causing flooding and droughts as well as causing changes in seasonal weather. These interactions around the world are called teleconnections. Considering the importance of this issue, a GLOBE ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) Campaign has been formulated to engage students in determining where and how much El Niño affects local places and to put students in contact with their local environment.
During Phase II, students will use at least two of the GLOBE protocols of precipitation, air temperature, surface temperature, soil temperature, SMAP soil moisture and biometry - canopy and ground cover to observe changes from climate averages and correlate temperature and precipitation measurements with observations of phenology changes. Local analyses will be compared across the participating schools and examined in the broader spatial context afforded by satellite observations.
The campaign will be hosting regular webinars to discuss the mechanics of the campaign, give updates on data collection, and learn science content from experts. The next webinar, “Taking GLOBE Data to the Next Level,” will be presented on Tuesday, 18 October, at 8:00 p.m. (12:00 a.m. UTC). This hour-long webinar will provide a quick review of the six protocols involved in the campaign and the potential for using the data as part of the GLOBE Student Research Symposium. You can register now for all upcoming webinars and view past webinars.
Throughout the campaign, regular guest blogs from scientists about how they study El Niño and teachers doing data collection with their students are being posted. In addition, there is information on the science of ENSO, how to participate in the campaign, analysis tools, numerous resources, and engaging discussion opportunities on the webpage. Keep checking back to discover what’s new with Phase II of the campaign!
type: globe-newsNews origin: GLOBE Implementation Office