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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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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. ...
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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 ...
Posted in:
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 ...
Posted in:
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).
Posted in:
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 ...
Posted in:
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 ...
Posted in:
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, ...
Posted in:
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 ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/10/01/xpedition-day-eight-kosovo-camp-to-special-crater-camp/
As you may have noticed, the Scientist Blog was quiet for the past two days. As is to be expected, things can change rapidly on the mountain and the ability for the team to send us their daily blogs was interrupted. The team safely continued on their journey, and have sent us their blogs.
Day Eight was Saturday, 29 September. The team journeyed from 4,877 m (16,000 ft) to 5,608 m (18,399 ft). ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/09/28/xpedition-day-seven-karanga-camp-to-kossovo-camp/
Today the team continues on their journey to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro by traveling from the Karanga Camp, situated at 3,962 m (12,998 ft), to the Kossovo Camp at 4,877 m (16,000 ft). This leg of the journey takes the team back to the alpine desert biome.
Part of the team stops for a photo
While this biome is found on Mt. Kilimanjaro, it is also found in many other mountain ranges, including but not limited ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/09/27/xpedition-day-six-lava-tower-to-karanga-camp/
A morning at camp
The team is now over halfway done with their trek to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The journey began on Sunday 23 September as the team left Basecamp and hiked to Forest Camp. You can read all about their journey starting here .
A view of Mt. Kilimanjaro from the trail
Today’s part of the trek up Kilimanjaro takes the team back down in elevation, ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/09/26/xpedition-day-five-moir-hut-to-lava-tower/
Today marks another transition between biomes – from heath zone to alpine desert. An alpine desert is a harsh, dry, windy region that consists of mostly bare rock and ice. Temperatures during the day can soar to 38°C, while at night can be below freezing. The air is very thin, which results in labored breathing as well as more intense solar radiation. The Lava Tower camp sits at approximately 5,029 m (16,499 ft). ...
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