GLOBE Scientists' Blog

Climate concerns for Oman – how soils and hydrology can work together

Posted on 08/15/2012 by wordpressadmin

Oman, a country known for its environmental conservation, pollution control and maintenance of ecological balance, is facing many environmental problems related to changing climate. Some of these include increased salinity of soil and water in the coastal plains, water scarcity, industrial runoff into the water tables and aquifers, and desertification.

In May, we took a look at Qatar and Saudi Arabia, also part of the GLOBE Near East North Africa region, who are facing similar concerns, with water scarcity being the major worry. Vegetation in the region has adapted to the dry climate; however, as the climate continues to change, agricultural success is expected to fluctuate more wildly. While this is also a concern in Oman, water scarcity is tied to soil salinity – a problem the country is facing more frequently.

: A look at salty soil; from waterquality.montana.edu

Salinity is the amount of saltiness or dissolved salt content (sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates) in a body of water or in soil. As the amount of rainfall decreases while temperatures increase, more salt is able to accumulate in the soil due to increased evaporation rates. Since 1990, the balance between use of lower salinity water, a.k.a. freshwater, and the annual freshwater recharge has been disturbed so much that crops have been yielding less and fields are abandoned.

Why do crops yields suffer from higher salinity? Higher soil salinity results in plants not being able to draw as much water from the soil. And in locations such as Oman that require irrigation, more salt is added to the soil than is removed. Additionally, Oman’s coastal locations are favorable for sea salt spray to accumulate in the soil. It is possible to use two GLOBE investigations, soils and hydrology, to monitor soil and water properties to determine the current salinity and any rate of change. Sultan Qaboos University has been looking into ways to mitigate soil and water salination, especially since the country has been facing water shortages.

The Batinah region of Oman, an area greatly affected by high soil salinity, photo from tourismoman.com.au

Hope isn’t completely lost, as there are means to correct salt-affected soils. This includes improving drainage or reducing evaporation by using mulches. With these mitigation efforts, it is anticipated that soil salinity can drop and crops can flourish again.

Are you a GLOBE school using hydrology and/or soil protocols to look at salinity? Have you noticed any changes in your data? We’d love to hear from you! Leave us a comment or send us an email at science@globe.gov.

-Jessica Mackaro

Posted in Climate, Climate Change, Hydrology, Soil | Leave a comment

Full Circle Superior Part I: Point Samples

Posted on 08/08/2012 by wordpressadmin

This week we take a look at Lake Superior through the eyes of Mike Link and his wife Kate Crowley. Mike is the retired founding director of The Audubon Center of the North Woods in Minnesota, an author of 24 books, a published researcher (vernal ponds and ornithology), a college instructor at Hamline University, and a consultant to non-profits. In 2010 he walked around the largest freshwater lake on Earth with his wife Kate – the first couple to do this. In 2014 they will be bicycling the length of the Mississippi river as they try to increase people’s interest in Fresh Water and the future. Working with the National Center for STEM Elementary Education, their future adventures and research will be shared with schools, teachers, and non-profits.

I will be writing a series of blogs for GLOBE to share the scientific experiences that were part of a 145 day, 1555 mile (2502 km) hike around the largest freshwater lake in the world. Note that it is measured by area, not depth or volume, two very significant measurements, but with less importance to our hike since area would determine the actual distance that we would cover.

Map of Lake Superior; from midwestweekends.com

My wife, Kate Crowley, and I chose to do this hike after my retirement from an environmental education center in Minnesota. We are both in our sixties and were the first couple to follow the shoreline of this magnificent lake. We did it for many reasons – to promote healthy living, to get people to care about freshwater, and to challenge people to take action on their values and concerns.

Freshwater is one of the most important issues in the world. Living in Minnesota, which is known as the land of 10,000 lakes and is the headwaters for both the Great Lakes and the Great River (Mississippi), we feel we have an opportunity to share our concern with the world.

As a college instructor in science and environmental education, as well as director of the Audubon Center, education was a very important part of my career and I love to combine education and science. The walk allowed us a chance to continue our focus on environmental education.

This blog is not about the hiking for 4 ½ months, but about the science we did as part of the effort. Perhaps you can see how you might duplicate some of the research in places where you live.

Mike Link and Kate Crowley begin their journey around Lake Superior; photo courtesy of Mike Link

Part 1 Point samples

Our first commitment was to take photos every three miles along the shore with GPS locations and notes. The photos were taken in the four cardinal directions and serve as a visual record. We ended up doing 300 points. At first we thought we would do them regardless of whether we could see the shoreline or not, but eventually we questioned this and eliminated stops where the lake was not in sight. We hope that these records will become available through GLOBE.

What this did was to cause us to take note of a variety of things that enriched our experience. For one thing, we were able to actually register the way the vegetation changes around the lake. On the south shore we found hemlock and beech and there was a nice mix of forest types with a substantial amount of deciduous trees. We found beautiful, healthy old white pines; very popular with bald eagles.

The large sand beaches that dominated this shoreline were usually backed up with a beach grass and beach pea community with pines, fir, and spruce behind them. Paper birch, aspen, yellow birch and maple were common deciduous trees in this region. I also found it fascinating how the mountain ash grows to tree size here. Because of Minnesota’s shoreline, I am used to thinking that the mountain ash is a shrub, but these were tall tree with high canopies mixed with the other native species.

Mike Link and Kate Crowley stopping for a rest on their hike around Lake Superior; photo courtesy of Mike Link

Moving north into Canada we transitioned from the white pine/birch/cedar forest to the boreal black spruce forest between Lake Superior Provincial Park and Pukaskwa National Park. Spruce became dominant and would stay with us across the northern reach of the lake. Sandy bays still had beach grass and beach pea, but the large areas of bedrock shoreline meant that lichens, mosses, butterwort, and sundew patches were common.

Traveling from Nipigon, Ontario, Canada to the south, the vegetation began to include more pines again. On the Sibley Peninsula, we felt the forest became what we expected, with the exception that on the exposed rocks and islands Arctic disjuncts (a species from the last ice age) still reproduce and flower. There are a few of these on the Susie Islands in Minnesota, near the border and some species on the shore, but nothing like the Canadian flora and its gorgeous array of plants like crusted saxifrage, Artic bramble, and alpine bistort. This area of Lake Superior supports many of these species that are globally rare.

As we walked down the Minnesota coastline we moved into second and third growth forests with lots of birch and aspen. Second and third growth forests are forests which have re-grown after a major disturbance, such as a fire, insect infestation or timber harvest. In these forests, the birch was often in poor shape and there were no young white cedar because of the voracious white tail deer. The mountain maple is browsed extensively by the deer, but seems able to withstand the onslaught, while species like mountain ash are nipped back to the ground almost as soon as they have a season of growth. We found the Encampment Forest Reserve to be one of the last vestiges of the original shoreline vegetation.

HOW WILL THIS BE USED?

You may hear people say – “It wasn’t like that when I was a kid.” People will talk about change and say that things were different, but that is what we call anecdotal evidence. It is based on memory and inconsistent reporting. So how do we answer the question of how has the lake shore changed over the years and not use anecdotal evidence?

Our point samples become a baseline. We know the day, the year, and the GPS points and those will remain a consistent reference point. In other years people can use GPS to go back to the same place and observe and measure the changes according to our records. This can be replicated in your backyard, school yard, or any place you want to create a permanent baseline record for others in future years.

From the first part of the series, you can see how important GPS is to Earth System Science research. We would love to hear how you have used GPS protocols in your research! Leave us a comment or email us at science@globe.gov.

Posted in Backyard Science, General Science, GPS | 9 Comments

Exotic Plant Invasion Part II: Origin and History of Tree-of-heaven in the US and Japan and initial research results

Posted on 08/01/2012 by wordpressadmin

This week, Dr. Rico Gazal continues his discussion of Tree-of-heaven and provides initial research results.

Tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is spreading widely throughout West Virginia and threatening the native forest ecosystems in Appalachia. This invasive plant was introduced to the United States from China in the 1780s. The same exotic tree species was also introduced to Japan in 1860s but is not aggressive in this country. In Japan, particularly in the Kyushu Island, tree-of-heaven is rarely found in natural forest ecosystems but a few trees may be found growing in university campuses (i.e. Kyushu University), school premises and house backyards. Tree-of-heaven was initially introduced in the US and Japan as an ornamental plant cultivated in urban areas to combat air pollution. Similarities and differences in behavior and ecology of tree-of-heaven can be attributed to different climatic regions where they exist: cool temperate in West Virginia, USA and warm temperate in Fukuoka, Japan.

Maps showing the location of tree-of-heaven in Glenville, West Virginia and Fukuoka, Japan. The invasive plants in West Virginia are naturally growing in native forests (Photo A) while those in Fukuoka, tree-of-heaven were planted on campus of Kyushu University located in the center of Fukuoka city (Photo C) and others can be found on an experimental forest that was planted for demonstration purposes (Photo B). Although tree-of-heaven were artificially planted in Fukuoka, evidence of successful establishment with significant amount of natural regeneration (seedlings) indicates their potential to eventually encroach Japan’s native forests in the future.

Continuous encroachment of Ailanthus and its accompanied modification of the site conditions pose a great threat to the existence of native plants and to the overall productivity and stability of natural forests. The success of Ailanthus and the reduction in the occurrence of native species beneath them is most likely the result of its strong competitive abilities, particularly its allelopathy (the production of one or more biochemical that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms), faster growth rate and abundant seed crops. It has been suggested that Ailanthus modify soil microbial communities and biogeochemical cycling in ways that can feedback to benefit them. Modification of soil chemical properties by Ailanthus trees and the release of toxins from stem, leaves, and roots are mechanisms by which they can maintain dominance in the stand. Success of Ailanthus in invading forest areas can be also attributed to its ability to exploit pulses of increased resource levels such as soil moisture and light. Low soil moisture and low light observed in pure stands of Ailanthus in Japan and West Virginia indicate its efficient light interception and water consumption capabilities. Hence, increased forest disturbances, accompanied by increased availability of sunlight, soil moisture, and nutrients could lead to more opportunities for Ailanthus to become established and invade natural forests.

Based on the preliminary analysis of our data, the leaf structure and physiological parameters measured in our study revealed unique differences in the key attributes of Ailanthus between West Virginia and Fukuoka, Japan that are associated with invasive success. Although leaf size was the same in both sites, specific leaf area, an indicator of photosynthetic capacity, was found larger in trees located in West Virginia compared to those in Fukuoka. Also, our analysis revealed that those trees in Fukuoka exhibited photoinhibition that can result to a decline in photosynthetic capacity due to high light intensity. Relative water content was lower in West Virginia than in Fukuoka that may indicate the ability of tree-of-heaven in West Virginia to sustain excessive water loss without desiccation. This translates to high photosynthesis that trees in West Virginia are able to sustain during the day. There were also leaf structural differences between the two sites with those in West Virginia exhibiting light-adapted leaf characteristics with shorter stomatal length and higher stomatal density than in Fukuoka. Stomata are microscopic pores on the leaf surface where carbon dioxide and water vapor exchange take place. The different physiological and morphological parameters indicate a more aggressive nature of tree-of-heaven in West Virginia compared to Fukuoka, Japan. Although Ailanthus spp. in Fukuoka may still be in its early stage of invasion, its successful establishment where it was originally planted and aggressive physiological characteristics showed its potential to continuously invade natural forest ecosystems of Japan. Ailanthus is rarely found in natural forest in Japan which could also be due to unique environmental factors in the warm temperate environment that control its spread such as presence of biological enemies and faster decomposition rate due to high moisture and temperature that may counteract the effect of its allelopathy.

Ailanthus seedlings planted on campus of Kyushu University, Japan

A mature Ailanthus tree and naturally growing seedlings on the campus of Kyushu University, Japan.

An Ailanthus tree that was artificially planted on a demonstration forest of Kyushu University. This experimental site is mowed on a regular basis as indicated by the absence of understory vegetation.

Natural regeneration of tree-of-heaven with plenty of light exposure on an experimental forest in Kyushu, Japan

Starting today, 1 August 2012, The GLOBE Program launches its Phenology and Climate Project! How could you connect Budburst, Green Up and/or Green Down to an invasive plant species investigation? We’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment or send us an email at science@globe.gov.

Posted in Earth as a System, General Science, GLOBE Protocols, Scientists | Leave a comment

Exotic Plant Invasion Part I: Characteristics of Tree-of-heaven

Posted on 07/25/2012 by wordpressadmin

This week we have a guest blog from Dr. Rico Gazal. Dr. Gazal is a plant / tree physiologist and an associate professor of Forestry in the Department of Land Resources at Glenville State College where he teaches courses in Forestry and Geographic Information System. Through his involvement in Geoscience Education in West Virginia, he designed an online learning module on Climate Change and Leaf Phenology. He has also been involved in training WV teachers, students and local volunteers on phenology and is implementing long-term observations of budburst and leaf fall of Liriodendron tulipifera in West Virginia since 2006. He was also involved in an NSF funded research on the effect of urbanization on leaf phenology. He has travelled to cities in Asia, Europe, North America and Africa to train teachers and students in the process of connecting the study of phenology to their local education curriculum.

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 Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia, USA and Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, we started a research project to understand the physiological and morphological characteristics of Ailanthus in West Virginia, USA and Fukuoka, Japan. This species is common to both countries and is considered a threat to the native forest ecosystems. As part of our study, we also investigated the history of species introduction, differences in habitats and ecology of tree-of-heaven in these countries.

Mature tree of Ailanthus altissima.

To understand the competiveness of tree-of-heaven, it is important to become familiar with its characteristics that enable them to successfully invade a certain habitat. Without proper knowledge of the species competitiveness, it will be difficult to control its spread and determine its impacts on the ecology and functions of forest ecosystem. Mature Ailanthus trees may reach 25-30 m in height. The large compound leaves (0.3-1.2 m in length consisting of 11-25 leaflets) give them the competitive advantage by blocking much of the sunlight that would reach the forest floor inhibiting growth of shade intolerant plants. The trees produce significantly large amount of seeds in late summer to early fall that readily germinate in any soil conditions. Tree-of-heaven can also reproduce asexually through root sprouts. The wood is soft, weak, and coarsely grained. All parts of the tree emit a very strong odor that may be related to allelopathic chemicals that inhibit the growth of other plants around the trees. The tree-of-heaven also grows very quickly (1-2 m yr^-1) that allows it to out-compete other species and form easily as a pure stand or monoculture. Ailanthus is a shade intolerant tree that grows in highly disturbed areas or open areas where there is plenty of light, moisture and nutrients. However, patches of tree-of-heaven have also been found in established forests that indicate their ability to adjust in any light conditions.

: A pure stand of tree-of-heaven in a natural forest in West Virginia.

Next week, we’ll discuss the origin and history of Ailanthus in both the United States and Japan and initial research.

Are you a GLOBE school examining invasive versus native species? We would love to hear about your research. Please leave us a comment or email us at science@globe.gov.

Posted in General Science | 1 Comment

First Annual Student Science Symposium

Posted on 07/20/2012 by wordpressadmin

This week, in St. Paul, Minnesota, the 16^th Annual GLOBE Partner’s Meeting convened. Representatives from 26 countries and 22 US states joined together to learn about where GLOBE has been and to discuss where GLOBE is going.

This year’s meeting saw the first annual Student Science Symposium. This event, held on Monday and Tuesday nights during the poster session, featured student research that uses GLOBE protocols. Research was presented from 5 countries and 4 US states. Both primary and secondary students presented their research either in person or virtually.

A student presents his research at the 1st Annual Student Science Symposium

To highlight the research that was presented at the annual meeting, abstracts of each presentation are given below:

Watershed Study using GLOBE Hydrology Protocols (SR1 – West Virginia)

This project began in 2009 when Huntington High School students were using GLOBE protocols to test water from the stream that flows through the most popular city park in Huntington, WV. A routine test for coliforms came back positive, as did further tests throughout the length of the stream. The students then initiated a study of the watershed of Four Pole Creek using GLOBE hydrology protocols and Coliscan Easygel water monitoring kits. The study tested three separate sites for dissolved oxygen, nitrates, turbidity, electrical conductivity, pH, temperature, and macroinvertebrates. Twelve different sites were selected for E. coli testing. The tests for dissolved oxygen, nitrates, electrical conductivity, turbidity, pH, and temperature were all in the safe range for a healthy stream. The macroinvertebrate sampling revealed only a few species, all of which are found in moderate to poor quality water. No macroinvertebrate that inhabits only good quality water was found. The E. coli testing in the fall revealed contamination many times the safe level for swimming, especially after a heavy rainfall producing runoff. The E. coli levels after a dry period dropped significantly, and in some cases, below the safe level for swimming. The testing in the spring showed only one site above the swimming safe level after several weeks of dry weather. The levels after a heavy runoff-producing rain were all many times over the safe level, just as in the fall. So the creek is most certainly contaminated after a heavy rainfall and possibly even after dry periods. Additional monitoring of Four Pole Creek is called for and will be done by Huntington High School Environmental/Earth students.

Mangrove is Wealth: Extinction of Mangroves Plant from the Coast of the Eastern Region (Problems and Solutions) (SR2 – Saudi Arabia)

We investigate about mangrove plant and also discussed the most important problems that lead to the extinction of mangroves plant from the coast of the Eastern Region in Saudi Arabia, as we tried to find solutions to protect this plant.

What’s with the weather these days? (SR3 – United States, Michigan)

The weather seems to be strange these days. It seems that there are more floods, droughts and heat waves than in the past. This study looks at GLOBE observations from five locations in order to answer the question, is whether temperature and precipitation have changed over time in the five locations.

Is there a variation in water quality in the Pollo River along different points throughout its course? (SR4 – Costa Rica)

A chemical and biological analysis was performed with the use of GLOBE protocols performed with the Xplorer GLX by PASCO, a toxicological essay and the application of the STROUD Water Research Center´s Leaf Pack methodology in three points in the Pollo River. The data analysis led to the conclusion that the river is similarly polluted in all researched points, which leads to the urgency to do more research starting from the spring in order to determine the main pollution sources along the river before going through the community of Paraíso.

Climate change correlation with Malaria cases (SR5 – United States, Ohio)

Could Malaria come to Ohio, or other highly populated areas? Malaria is a bacterial virus transferred through the saliva of the female Anopheles mosquito, but there are over 50 different types of the Anopheles mosquitoes. One variable for the female Anopheles mosquito to survive is that that average air temperature has to stay tropical. This was the variable I based my project off of, the air temperature verses the amount of Malaria cases. I chose climate change because it’s the weather over a period of 30 years at the minimum and thought that it would show the results better than just a few years. My test area was rather large by choosing seven cities 11.5° North and South of the equator. Each city is in between 60° and 120° longitude, under 100 meters in elevation, and is in an urban area. I got air temperature data for each city from the GLOBE website but, for the years of data that were not available, I took the data off of Wunderground, a weather database, for the thirty year period with increments of five years. I then went to medical websites to get the amount of Malaria cases for each city for each year. I compared the two variables by putting them both in a graph for each city for every five years dating from 1980 to 2010. My hypothesis is that I think that as the air temperature rises or falls the amount of Malaria cases will rise or fall with it in a correlating pattern. My data does not support my hypothesis greatly. I hope to expand my project to different countries, different variables, and hopefully, constant results. I will try my hardest to continue this project year after year and combine all of them into a giant senior project. I also hope that my project will help doctors and scientists with some understanding of Malaria, and to help keep others as well as myself safe.

Phenological study of Caesalpinea spinosa trees (“Tara”) in the Botanical Garden of the National Agrarian University La Molina during years 2005 – 2010 (SR6 – Peru)

We analyzed tara trees phenology of the Botanical Garden Octavio Velarde Nunez of National Agrarian University La Molina in the years 2005 – 2010, with emphasis on patterns of fructification and flowering; results show a change in the distribution of fruiting thresholds since 2005 in which this patters were concentrated in the first half of the year up to 2010 in which the highest percentage of fructification is given at the end of the year. Flowering seems not be affected along time.

Yosemite Watershed Hydrology Study (SR7 – United States, California)

Analysis of the hydrology of two forks of the Merced River Watershed in Yosemite National Park over a 12 year period. The students are working on completing analysis of 12 years of data. The 7 GLOBE Hydrology tests were taken twice a year in multiple sites in the watershed. Macroinvertebrate analysis was carried out at two sites twice a year.

Climate change influencing the number of Aedes larvae and the number of students infected with dengue virus at Triamudom Suksa School (SR8 – Thailand)

A comparative study of the relationship between the number of mosquito larvae on the number of students with dengue fever at the School as a result of changes of weather conditions. Surveyed mosquito larvae in water containers of all kinds, both inside and outside the building. Recorded temperature data, relative humidity, and rainfall. Students observed a number of patients with dengue fever; this was conducted in accordance with the procedures in the study of mosquitoes. Statistical analysis using Microsoft Office Excel 2007 to analyze the linear relationship between the number of mosquito larvae to temperature. Humidity and rainfall were recorded when the temperature rises. The mosquito has become more and more prevalent and the number of students becoming ill with dengue fever has increased. The air temperature affects the number of mosquito larvae and the number of students as dengue patients. The relationship between air temperature and rainfall. The number of mosquito larvae and the number of students who had a hemorrhagic fever with no apparent relationship.

Diatom inferred Phosphorus Concentration in Horse Poop Dynamite Lake (Third Lake) [Bebezhigooganzhimoo baasaabikiziga ni-Zaaga’iganiing (Eko-nising zaaga’iganiing)] (SR9 – United States, Minnesota)

Diatoms are silica celled algae. We are using the diatoms as the indicator for phosphorus concentration in the lake. Third lake was chosen because it has excess phosphorus levels causing algal blooms. Researchers from Fond du Lac Resource Management suspect phosphorus is coming from human activities, specifically the horse farm on the shore of the lake. We identified and counted the diatoms on 2 slides prepared from a core taken from the Third Lake. One slide was prepared from the top of the core to make sure that modern analog method we will use correctly associated modern species assemblage with today’s phosphorus levels. The other slide was from the bottom of the core that represent pre-Euroamerican settlement time period. Using a computer program (C2), we compared our data to an 89-lake training set using the Modern Analog Technique. We were able to tell the total inferred Phosphorus of the lake went up by approximately 50% from 1750 to 2011. We cannot prove that the increase in the level of total phosphorus was caused by the horse manure. There could be many other factors involved. Further research would have to be done by testing soil and local hydrological features.

Macrofossils of Bang Lake on the Fond du Lac Reservation in Carlton County (SR10 – United States, Minnesota)

Macrofossils are plant remains (e.g. seeds, cones, needles) preserved in lake sediment, bogs, and wetlands that can be seen without a high-powered microscope. Macrofossils are used with pollen studies to reconstruct the history of the local vegetation around a body of water. Surface samples from 4 different sites in Bang Lake were taken from a 50m2 area in less than 5m of water. Sediment samples were sieved through 1mm and 500?m screens. Macrofossils were then picked from the sieved samples using tweezers and a low-powered microscope. The macrofossils that were found were then identified to species using macrofossil reference collection materials. The sites 1, 2, 3, and 4 had different plants in them. Sites 1, 2, and 4 had evidence of wild rice. The differences at the sites could possibly be due to different nutrient levels (phosphorus, nitrogen), sediment composition (sand. fine-grained, coarse-grained), or differences in seed distribution (animals, waves, wind). The inferred water depth ranges of the plant macrofossils found in the samples matched the water depth the samples were taken from. All plants grow in 5m or less of water. We did find evidence of terrestrial plants as well. They were probably washed in from the shore area.

Giishpin jiibaakwewakigoog mikwendamowaad miijim, gidaa-intaawmin inaadiziwin (if the pots remember the food, we should understand the life of the pots) (SR11 – United States, Minnesota)

Ojibwe people have used wild rice (Zizania palustris) since they migrated to Minnesota hundreds of years ago. Wild rice is an emergent aquatic annual grass that is considered to grow better in natural lakes and marshes that have annual cycle of water level changes and whose waters are low in sulfate. In order to eat wild rice it must be cooked, so the Ojibwe people made pots to cook them. The pots have baked-in food residue that we can process to look at to see if there are wild rice phytoliths in them. Phytoliths are microscopic amorphous silica forms deposited by many plants especially those of grass (Poaceae) family. Some of the wild rice phytoliths have unique features that allow them to be identified and not mixed up with those from other grasses. There are pottery remains of various ages in Minnesota. We observed and counted phytoliths in pottery remains to start investigating when Ojibwe people came to Minnesota. We studied the shapes and dimensions of phytoliths and put the data into a chi-square to examine the work and do some math. We found that the phytoliths from residue were similar to those from wild rice.

Was the lack of snow in the 2011-2012 winter in Norwalk, Ohio caused by climate change? (SR12 – United States, Ohio)

The students at Main Street School in Norwalk, OH, USA, normally have two or three days off of school due to snow each winter. During the 2011-2012 school year, however, we had no snow days. We hypothesized that this unusual weather is a sign of climate change. After looking carefully at data on average temperature and average precipitation from 1951 to 2012, we concluded that climate change was probably not the reason for our lack of snow days and that something else must be affecting the weather in our area.

Students from Saudi Arabia present their research at the 1st Annual Student Science Symposium

Each presentation was judged on five criteria:

Knowledge achieved
Use of scientific method
Clarity of expression
Originality and creativity
Adherence to Project Guidelines

Winners of the student science symposium were announced at the formal closing dinner on Thursday, 19 July 2012. These winners included:

1st place: Climate change influencing the number of Aedes larvae and the number of students infected with dengue virus at Triamudom Suksa School (SR8 – Thailand)
Climate change correlation with Malaria cases (SR5 – United States, Ohio)
Was the lack of snow in the 2011-2012 winter in Norwalk, Ohio caused by climate change? (SR12 – United States, Ohio)

Is this something you’d be interested in attending next year, whether in person or virtually, start using your GLOBE protocols to explore your environment! The research possibilities are endless. More information about the Second Annual Student Science Symposium will be announced in the coming months. Also, be sure to check out our Facebook Page for more images from the Student Science Symposium as well as the 16th Annual GLOBE Partner Meeting.