News - National Wildlife Federation - Eco-Schools USA
Read the Latest GLOBE ENSO Blog – “Taking ENSO Data to the Next Level with Shumate Middle School in Gibralter, Michigan!”
Mr. Jeff Bouwman and his Shumate Middle School students in Gibralter, Michigan, USA, are NASA GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign superstars. Read the latest GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign blog written by Brian Campbell, NASA Senior Earth Science Education Specialist – and check out their two inspiring videos showing what these amazing students have been doing with their data!
What is El Niño? What is La Niña? Well, El Niño and La Niña are the warm and cool phases of a recurring climate pattern across the tropical Pacific—the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or “ENSO” for short. The pattern can shift back and forth irregularly every two to seven years, and each phase triggers predictable disruptions of temperature, precipitation, and winds. These changes disrupt the large-scale air movements in the tropics, triggering a cascade of global side effects.
Considering the importance of this issue, the GLOBE ENSO campaign is designed 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 the current phase of this campaign (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.
Throughout the GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign, regular guest blogs from scientists and teachers 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-news
News origin: GLOBE Implementation Office