Community Blogs

Community Blogs

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

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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


This week’s blog comes to us from Mrs. Wafa Mubarek Bin Dayna, the Country Coordinator for the Kingdom of Bahrain.  In this post she explains a new collaborative project occurring in the Kingdom of Bahrain exploring migratory birds throughout the country.  This project was introduced in the 2011-2012 academic year and will continue for the three academic years following. In the Kingdom of Bahrain, over 290 species of birds have been observed, the majority being passing migrants.  Monitoring migratory birds isn’t always easy, as many migratory birds fly at a great ...


Posted in: Investigation Areas: EARTH AS A SYSTEM


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 ...


Posted in: 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


Establishment and proliferation of invasive species in an environment where they were introduced is becoming a worldwide problem. During my trip to Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan in 2008 for a research fellowship, I was able to observe the same plant species that is also considered invasive in the United States. It is called the tree-of-heaven ( Ailanthus altissima ). This trip initiated a project involving a more in-depth investigation of the competitiveness of Ailanthus as an invasive plant. With the involvement of undergraduate students in the Department of Land Resources at ...


Posted in: GLOBE Science Topics: GENERAL SCIENCE   Investigation Areas: EARTH AS A SYSTEM


When you think about farms, you may think of the sounds you hear.  Those sounds may include both natural and manmade sounds, such as the rustling of produce in the wind or machines working the fields.  While these are expected sounds that can indicate farm health, scientists recently have been looking at another natural sound: songbirds. Farmers are becoming more interested in looking at the key connections between ecological, economic, and social components to managing their farms, according to Quest science blog .  It is then important to make sure that clear and ...


Posted in: GLOBE Science Topics: CLIMATE CHANGE BACKYARD SCIENCE CLIMATE   Investigation Areas: EARTH AS A SYSTEM ARCTIC BIRD MIGRATION