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Discover how the GLOBE community is engaging in all things GLOBE through the community blog posts below.

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As you know, the theme for Phase II of the ENSO Student Research Campaign is "Taking Data to the Next Level!" For our U.S. schools, teachers, and partners, GLOBE has just announced the 2017 series of Regional Student Research Symposia (previously called GLOBE Regional Science Fairs). This is an opportune time to take your data to the next level. As the campaign lead, I will advise you to contact me at any time about how to get involved. We have a great campaign team from around the world. Learn more HERE! My email is Brian.A.Campbell@nasa.gov


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TRAINERS STUDENTS TEACHERS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


I just came across an article from NASA's Earth Observatory that was released yesterday entitled " A Dry Start to South America’s Wet Season ". The article describes the current lack of precipitation in South America, and includes the map below. In this map, we are seeing the accumulated deficit of rainfall that is both flowing onto the surface and accumulating under the ground as of this October.   This got me wondering how South America might be impacted by the La Nina conditions in the near future. I did a little research, and found this article, also from NASA's Earth ...


Posted in: Curriculum: SCIENCE AND MATH   Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   GLOBE Science Topics: EARTH AS A SYSTEM CLIMATE   Investigation Areas: EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) ATMOSPHERE BIOSPHERE


In most scientific research an important test is whether the results of an experiment can be repeated, typically repeated by another lab and research group. A result that cannot be confirmed in this way is generally viewed as invalid. This is a great test for controlled experiments where virtually identical experimental conditions may be achieved. In Earth science research involving observations of the natural world, experimental conditions cannot be reproduced. For environmental research the standard must switch for repeatable to intercomparable – capable of being compared. ...


Posted in: GLOBE Science Topics: GENERAL SCIENCE EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE BACKYARD SCIENCE GLOBE PROTOCOLS   Investigation Areas: HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) ATMOSPHERE BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI


As you might know, Phase II of the GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign is in full force! Are you an OFFICIAL MEMBER? If not, you are missing out on vital updates and potential collaboration with other GLOBE schools from around the world. We have already had 3 webinars for Phase II. CLICK HERE TO JOIN TODAY! Did you know that approximately 50,000 automated and non-automated measurements are uploaded by students, teachers, and automated systems every week? You might think that is a lot of data, and it is, but the Earth is a really big place and we need as much data as we can ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   GLOBE Working Groups: SCIENCE WORKING GROUP   Investigation Areas: PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


The GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign wants to hear how you are collaborating with other GLOBE schools – or how you would like to collaborate in the future. Create a slide and send it in by 13 November so that it can be shared during the upcoming 15 November webinar . What better way to show your students that they are a valuable part of the GLOBE community than by sharing a slide that shows how you are using collaboration as a tool? The theme of the webinar is “Collaboration." Three GLOBE teachers (Audra Edwards, Peggy Foletta, and Mike Jabot), will share some of their ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Learning Activities: SOIL   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


A few months ago, scientists and researchers gave La Niña a slim-to-none chance of forming..... BUT..... recent weather and climate models are now saying that La Niña has a 70% chance of taking shape, albeit a weak one. Check out this cool article by NOAA's Climate research group.


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Let's talk about collaboration? Collaboration is a way to share your research, measurements, and ideas with others that have similar goals and interests. Collaboration is about much more than just sharing data or sharing techniques, it is about leveraging the expertise of others with your own, and combining them into a "POWERPACK" of results. During our current Phase II of the GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign, we are "Taking Data to the Next Level!" One way to maximize this effort is to work with other schools from around the GLOBE community to answer big questions regarding the ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: SOIL MOISTURE - SMAP BLOCK PATTERN PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Have you been taking lots of GLOBE data for the El Niño Student Research Campaign? Now that you have all the data, what can you do with it? There are lots of cool ways to make sense of your data by sharing your WATER STORIES via the H2yOu Project and El Niño stories via the Story Maps Project . By analyzing your El Niño protocol data, you can develop stories that will tell the rest of the world how the El Niño phenomena has affected your area. Perhaps students in other parts of the world have collected data similar to yours. You can also take your data and develop a project ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Earlier this summer, scientists predicted about a 75% chance of a La Niña following the El Niño from 2015-2016. But now, a La Niña is most likely not going to happen, with a 40% chance as of September. Last Spring, waters in the Pacific Ocean seemed to be cooling off. This is an indicator of a La Niña weather pattern. Scientists have now noticed that these water temperatures have been leveling off, thus decreasing the chance of a La Niña event. The current ENSO period of neutrality will continue into the Fall. Monthly sea surface temperature in the Niño 3.4 region of the ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


As you might know, NASA came out with a statement that July 2016 was the hottest month on record, ever! Since the 2015-2016 El Niño event began in October 2015, each month has set a new record for the hottest month on record. Even though we are currently in a period of neutrality, we are on the tails of an El Niño and quite possibly about to enter a La Niña. "Since October 2015, every month has set a new global record for hottest temperatures. It coincides with an unusually strong El Niño Pattern which caused severe heat and drought across Southeast Asia, as well as raising ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROSPHERE PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


Did you know that soil moisture plays a vital role in human health? Those nasty little critters called mosquitoes love warm, wet soil, and can carry extremely dangerous viruses and diseases. We also can use SMAP soil moisture data to assist famine early warning systems. Improved seasonal soil moisture forecasts using SMAP data will directly benefit famine early warning systems particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where hunger remains a major human health factor and the population harvests its food from rain-fed agriculture in highly monsoonal (seasonal) conditions. ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: SMAP   Investigation Areas: SOIL MOISTURE - SMAP BLOCK PATTERN PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


The NASA SMAP satellite took off for space on January 31, 2015 to study our planet's soil moisture and freeze/thaw state. Once in space, the satellite had to go through a prescribed series of steps to ensure that the spacecraft was functioning and all its instruments and components on-board were working properly. This took several months. In mid-April 2015, NASA starting receiving its first soil moisture measurements from SMAP's combined high resolution radar and its high accuracy radiometer. The combination of this data produced a data resolution of approximately 8km. Unfortunately, ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: SMAP   Investigation Areas: SOIL MOISTURE - SMAP BLOCK PATTERN PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


There are many application for SMAP soil moisture satellite data. Understanding drought risk is vital to the health of the planet and to the lives of potentially billions of people around the world. Soil moisture strongly affects plant growth and hence agricultural productivity, especially during conditions of water shortage and drought. Currently, there is no global in situ network for soil moisture monitoring. Global estimates of soil moisture and plant water stress must be derived from models. These model predictions (and hence drought monitoring) can be greatly enhanced through ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: SMAP   GLOBE Science Topics: EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE   Investigation Areas: SOIL MOISTURE - SMAP BLOCK PATTERN PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Primary Audience: TEACHERS TRAINERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS


We all know that the SMAP satellite measures soil moisture. But, how does knowing our planet's soil moisture help us in understanding agriculture's reaction to it? SMAP monitors soil moisture and provides critical information for drought early warning. In fact, a deficit in the amount of moisture in the soil defines agricultural drought. SMAP's measurements will come into play because researchers forecast a threefold increase in drought frequency in many regions of the world by the end of the 21st Century. History shows that a sustained drought can result in crop failure, deaths of ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: SMAP   Investigation Areas: SOIL MOISTURE - SMAP BLOCK PATTERN PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Primary Audience: TRAINERS TEACHERS STUDENTS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS