The GLOBE Program’s Climate and Land Cover Event

February 2011 Update for Participants in the Climate and Land Cover Event

Greetings, student climate scientists !

First of all, we want to extend our appreciation to each one of you for the outstanding photographs that you submitted for the October climate and land cover event. Your contribution to this project was, and is, essential to making it a success. We will provide periodic updates on the progress that the climate scientists are making by processing the valuable data you provided them with your photographs and data. The climate scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) have accessed your pictures and are and are in the process of making comparisons with satellite imagery to validate the land cover in your area. Once they interpret the results, they will send an update to let you know how valuable your time and efforts have been to this land cover event. By helping climate scientists improve vegetation maps used in climate models, you can help increase the understanding of the relationships between climate and land cover, which is the purpose of this event.

The next step is for you to take another set of digital pictures during April, a different season when you might see changes in your local vegetation cover. Seasonal photographs work best to allow scientists to estimate the potential for carbon dioxide use by vegetation in a region. Remember, plants take in carbon dioxide from the air and give off oxygen. This study will help you better understand the relationship between carbon and vegetation and how much carbon is stored in trees. It will also help you better understand the role of carbon in climate change and how the earth’s biological system influences greenhouse gases. This is very important information in helping climate scientists track the carbon budget.

So, check in again next month for another update and plan on joining us in early April to participate in the next steps of the scientific process. Remember, science takes time but, in the end, obtaining scientifically accurate results makes the wait worthwhile.

All the best,

The Climate and Land Cover Science Team at NOAA

10-31 October 2010

Thank you to all the teachers and students who participated in this global effort. With over 200 Land Cover Photos from around the world entered into the GLOBE Database and over 50 new sites entered into the Geo-Wiki Land Cover Database, we have made a significant contribution to Land Cover and Climate Science while successfully piloting a number of new tools and processes for the GLOBE program and the Student Climate Research Campaign. Thank you again for your participation. The GLOBE Science and Education Team

Click Here to Join the GLOBE Collaboration Pages

Help scientists make better climate models by contributing your pictures and data.

Learn more about the relationship between land cover and climate.

Introduction:

Scientists from the Earth Systems Research Laboratory at the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are working to improve climate models and answer the questions:

How do terrestrial ecosystems impact climate?
How is climate change impacting terrestrial ecosystems?

You and your students can play a key role in helping these scientists develop better climate models and start an investigation or research project of your own focused on these guiding questions.

What to Do and How to Do It:
During the week of 10-16 October 2010, take and submit digital pictures from a local land cover site in the four cardinal directions (N. S. E. & W), along with latitude, longitude and elevation data from a GPS or map tool. Enter this data, along with optional metadata describing the site and MUC-Code classification from the GLOBE Land Cover/Biology Protocols to complete the process.

Students can further help climate scientists by comparing the results of their local investigation to an international land cover base-layer used in climate models and share the results of their analysis. By helping climate scientists improve the vegetation maps used in the models, we can help increase their understanding of the relationships between climate and land cover, as well as provide a valuable opportunity for students to contribute to cutting edge science. This event will be repeated every three months between October 2010 and October 2011 to allow participants and scientists the option of monitoring seasonal changes to their site.

Who can Participate:
Anyone with a digital camera and internet access, or a mobile phone with photo capacity can participate in this event. Scientists are interested in all types of land cover, not just rural or natural areas. You do not have to be a GLOBE Teacher or a student in a GLOBE school to participate in this event, but in order to post to the map-tool, the sites do have to be in a participating GLOBE Country. For a list of participating countries Click Here

Why Participate:
Participating schools will have an opportunity to contribute to cutting edge science, help improve the tools used to make climate models, and interact with NOAA Scientists in a collaboration forum dedicated to this event. Participating students can share their work and research with others from around the world, build collaborations around ecosystems and climate, and potentially use the data they collect as a base for developing their own research project. For more information on ecosystem investigations visit the GLOBE Program’s Seasons and Biomes Project Webpage. For a stellar set of teaching and learning resources related to climate from NOAA, visit www.climate.gov

Getting Started:
A school or organization does not need an established land cover site to participate in this event. However, developing an understanding of the relationships between land cover and climate prior to the event could be a great first step. For more information on GLOBE Land Cover Protocols and setting up a land cover site, please refer to the Land Cover/Biology section of the GLOBE Teachers Guide.

Where to Begin:
The resources for this event, including data entry and a teachers guide can be found on the new GLOBE Collaboration Pages on Ning.com. Click on the link below, fill out the profile information, and go to the "Groups" tab on the top of the homepage. Then, scroll down and click on the "Group" for the Climate and Land Cover Event for a complete listing of resources and event details. Thank you in advance for your participation and support.

Climate and Land Cover Teachers Guide

Click Here to Join the GLOBE Collaboration Pages