Blog - Dorian Wood Janney

Many of us are so used to having clean freshwater that is easily accessible that we don't often stop to marvel at the fact that we are incredibly fortunate. The majority of our freshwater comes from our water cycle, and precipitation is unevenly distributed across the globe. You can learn more about the importance of clean freshwater resources in this "one-pager" entitled "Precious...

What are the impacts of extreme events, like Hurricane Harvey, on the water quality? This article from the Smithsonian magazine describes multiple ways in which public health officials are responding to several threats facing residents of Houston and surrounding locations. These threats include the impact of mold, the potential of an increase in vector-borne diseases such as Zika and West Nile...

One way to teach students about water quality and/or how scientists go about their work is to share articles with them. Here is a great article entitled "Study Maps Hidden Water Pollution in U.S. Coastal Areas". This research shows a great example of the use of both NASA satellite data and ground-based data. In this study, the researchers used U.S. topographic data as well...

I do hope that we "see" many of you in our first webinar of Phase III of the ENSO Student Research Campaign as we transition to a focus on collaborating and learning more about water in our environment. Tomorrow evening, Oct. 3rd at 8 pm (ET), we will hear from NASA scientist, John Bolten about the many ways in which NASA studies Earth's water. You might be surprised to know that the NASA...

It is pretty neat when you can get two for the price of one- as most teachers can attest to with regard to trying to get everything into their curriculum. Did you know that this year, the FIRST LEGO League's challenge is focused on water. And what could be better, as that water is also the theme of this year's ENSO Student Research Campaign!  The LEGO Challenge Project states: "People use...

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3kwd0hHXG--39z2ADxi7-blg11wAx1RUG42GVHgsG12BP6g/viewform?c=0&w=1Did you know that mosquito-borne diseases are impacted by both the El Nino and the La Nina weather patterns? Tonight during the ENSO Student Research Campaign Webinar #10 (at 8 pm EST) Dr. Assaf Anyamba will share the results of his research on the impact of these different patterns on...

Just when you think that perhaps the weather systems are settling down- our amazing scientific instruments are able to detect a potential change! I never cease to be amazed at what we are able to learn about Earth's systems- both from the ground and from space!  This article from the New York Times just came across my newsfeed- "It's Like it Never Left: Another El Nino May be on the Way"....

One of the important aspects of a scientist's job is to look at the data that was collected and try to make sense of it in order to better understand natural phenomena. With the ENSO Student Research Campaign, we have a unique opportunity to analyze data and use the analysis to help us better understand the impact of the ENSO cycles on weather and climate in locations all around the...

There will be a special Google hangout for GLOBE teachers and scientists on Feb 15 at 7pm (ET).  During this event, we will learn about the results of the research from several scientists who were onboard the research vessel, and will have a chance to ask questions about this work and results.  http://bit.ly/2lL4Kgd No registration required- open to any GLOBE teacher and/or...

Onboard the Falkor, the research for the "Sea to Space Particle Investigation" is going strong!  You can read the blogs from various researchers and technicians at  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/category/sea-to-space/  

While in Thailand, last month Peter and I met one of Kris and Mullica’s graduate students, who is involved with the regular collection of GLOBE weather data and is learning about the ENSO cycle. He and I chatted a lot about what he is doing, and he took us to see one of the automated weather stations that is situated in a mountain village about 30 minutes out of Nakhom Si Thammarat.  We...

Have you ever wondered how NASA Earth observing satellites are able to ground truth their data? What about satellites that collect data over the ocean? Is it ever possible to compare actual in situ data with data that is collected using remote sensing? It just so happens that there are several NASA scientists who will be doing just that- and more- from January 24th through February 20th! And,...

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...

One of NASA's scientists, Dr. Stephanie Uz, has been working closely with the GLOBE ENSO Campaign throughout its beginning. She is an oceanographer who studies the response of ocean biology to physical forcing through remotely sensed satellite data, in situ measurements, model output and statistical reconstructions using proxies. Her research focuses on variability in global ocean color or...

I came across this information this afternoon, and thought I would share it with everyone. Here are some of the impacts of the 2015-2016 El Nino's impact on some parts of Brazil and Columbia.  We would love to hear from any of you as to how the El Nino impacted you in your area! Just add a comment below.  "Brazil is undergoing its most severe drought in 35 years and heavily...

Hey there all your fabulous GLOBE Teachers and Scientists!!!! We want one slide from you- and here is the template ready to go!- to share either how you are already using collaboration as a tool or how you would like to use this tool in the future!  It is super easy- here are the directions.  What better way to show your students that they are a valuable part of the GLOBE Community...

Apparently the wind belts around the equator flip about once every two years. This past year, NASA found that the flip occurred much earlier than it expected. Watch the short video at this url to learn more about this phenomena and how it might be related to the 2015-16 El Nino event.  ...

I just came across a fascinating article titled "A Tale of Fire and Water- A NASA Scientist's Quest to Understand Rain in Africa". You can see this article at this link:http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/IchokuRain/.  You learn the story of a NASA scientist who grew up in southern Nigeria as a poor refugee child whose family was forced to flee their home because of a civil war that...

I just came across an article that discusses the impact of the 2015-2016 El Nino on landslides in California. You can read it at this link: http://landslides.usgs.gov/monitoring/2015elnino/ncal.php. How would you think that the El Nino impacted the incidence of landslides in that region? Historically it is the large winter storms that cause the devastating landslides in the Francisco...

I just read a fascinating article from National Geographic that was published yesterday entitled "How La Nina Could Affect the Spread of Zika": http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/08/will-la-nina-affect-the-spread-of-zika-/. Before you read the article, stop and consider how the temperature and precipitation patterns in your local region changed as a result of the El Nino. In my area, the...

The third and fourth grade students whom I work with at Cedar Grove ES asked me what will happen once the El Nino conditions begin to subside, and I admitted that I really wasn't sure. So, we used the internet and looked it up! We found a website that answered our question!  Discovery News has a great article with videos and graphics...

Dorian Janney, GLOBE Scientist Mentor Blog for El Nino Field Campaign   I have had the pleasure of working with two groups of elementary school students this year as their GLOBE mentor. They attend Cedar Grove Elementary School in Clarksburg, MD. My primary goal was to install an instrument box with a rain gauge and a multi-day thermometer at their school, and to help them collect and...