GLOBE Projects

GLOBE Breadcrumb

GLOBE Side Navigation

Use GLOBE Data for Research

Examining Environmental and Structural Impact of Extreme Events on Land Cover

Organization(s):Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) GLOBE v-School
Country:United States of America
Student(s):Alissa Sherbatov, Evan Hsiang, Joseph Ortiz, Cassie Kilburn, and Benjamin Koppe
Grade Level:Secondary School (grades 9-12, ages 14-18)
GLOBE Educator(s):Cassie Soeffing
Contributors:Dr. Rusty Low, scientist, IGES Peder Nelson, scientist, OSU Dr. Erika Podest, scientist, NASA JPL Dr. Becky Boger, scientist Peer Mentor: Pratham Babaria Peer Mentor: Kavita Kar
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report, Mission Mosquito Report
Protocols:Land Cover Classification, Earth As a System, Mosquitoes
Presentation Video: View Video
Presentation Poster: View Document
Language(s):English
Date Submitted:02/11/2022
Extreme earth events are a large global issue, with over 100 extreme events striking the United States annually (Boustan et al., 2020). In this research, our objective was to assess the impact of extreme events on land cover. Our research question was: how have various extreme events environmentally and structurally impacted land cover in areas across the United States? We used NASA Worldview, Python image analysis and Excel to assess the healing of a patch of land burnt in California’s Camp Fire (2018), and manual analysis of GLOBE Observer Land Cover data to check for structural damages in Northern New Jersey from Tropical Storm Elsa (2021). Over the course of 26 weeks after the Camp Fire, the patch of land partially regained its greenness. No structural damages in the surveyed areas of New Jersey were found. We concluded it takes over 6 months for a burnt area’s greenness to be restored after a severe wildfire and that New Jersey’s land cover was not impacted by Tropical Storm Elsa. These results demonstrate the environmental damage that wildfires can cause and the potential of greenness and citizen science as methods for analyzing land cover. Key words: extreme events, wildfire, land cover, environmental science, tropical storm


Return to Student Research Report Listing

Comments