Trees in Trouble: What happens after the pine trees die?

Posted on 06/06/2012 by wordpressadmin

This week’s blogger is Emily Robitschek, a proud graduate of Arvada West High School near Denver, Colorado.  In this post she reports about her research project that she conducted while she worked in the GLOBE Program Office in the summer of 2011 as part of a high school research internship program (HIRO) at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.  To read about her experience in this program, see her blog post from 28 March 2012.  Emily just graduated from high school in May 2012 and is planning to attend Colorado State University in August.

The current mountain pine beetle outbreak spanning Colorado and southern Wyoming (previously reported on in this blog) has spread to 4 million acres since 1996 making it the largest recorded epidemic in these areas. Tree canopy loss within stands of affected pine trees is a symptom of this epidemic. Part of the loss occurs during the “red phase,” wherein the trees still retain red needles, and the remaining loss occurs during the “gray phase,” wherein the trees have shed all of their needles and some small branches. While these visually dramatic effects of the beetle epidemic are evident, how it influences specific environmental factors, such as hydrology and transmittance of solar radiation, is less understood.

Photo of a healthy pine forest

Healthy pine forest near Niwot Ridge, Colorado (Photo taken by Steve Miller/CIRES)

Photo of a beetle-affected pine forest

Example of a beetle-affected pine forest (Photo from the Denver Post)

Research is underway to comprehend any potential effects the pine beetle epidemic has on the environments in which it is prevalent.  One such project, which I worked on during my summer internship with GLOBE, focused on studying solar radiation in affected and unaffected tree stands. A change in solar radiation transmittance through the canopy can have effects on the snowpack accumulation (or ablation), surface sensible and latent heat fluxes, and other energy and water balance parameters. To quantify and compare the levels of solar radiation transmitted through healthy pine canopies with transmittance through trees affected by pine beetles, we used data from pyranometers (instruments that measure solar radiation) to analyze healthy sites and a red phase site.

Our study found that, on average, the ratio of the solar radiation recorded by sensors that were placed directly under the canopy (“under”) to those placed in nearby open tree clearings (“open”) was closer to unity at the red phase site.  This indicates that nearly the same amount of solar radiation was transmitted through the trees as was transmitted through the relatively treeless clearings.  On the other hand, this ratio was reduced at most healthy sites, indicating that less solar radiation was being transmitted through the healthy tree canopies.   Similar results were found by comparing the amount of solar radiation received at the top of the tree canopies (using pyranometer data from an instrumented tower) compared to that received below the tree canopies (the “under” sensors).

Photo of a pyranometer sensor under the tree canopy

A pyranometer sensor under the tree canopy (Courtesy: Dave Gochis/NCAR)

Thus, our results imply that more solar radiation was transmitted through the red phase canopy, perhaps due to its loss of needles.  However, these results do not prove that pine needle loss caused more solar radiation to be transmitted.  There are several other factors that could have led to these results that need to be considered, such as forest tree density, instrument placement, and other site specific details (i.e. altitude, slope angle, etc).  Furthermore, additional sites need to be analyzed in order to more firmly establish these results and understand the variability within the various tree stands.  Nonetheless, if the tree stands affected by pine beetles do allow more solar radiation to reach the ground below their canopies, that could lead to more snow melting and ultimately have effects on water storage and the hydrological and energy cycles in the region.

When beetles kill the trees, they impact the local land cover.  Are there changes happening to your local land cover and if so, what effects of land cover change have you noticed in your community?  Send us an email at science@globe.gov or post a comment to let us know!

 

Posted in Climate, General Science, Land Cover | 61 Comments

Scientist Skills: Surprises in Science

Posted on 05/30/2012 by wordpressadmin

Sometimes, part of being a scientist is dealing with the unexpected. During research projects, scientists might get very surprising results. Or, something might happen to completely change the scope of the project. This is exactly what happened to a group of scientists in Chile. Scientists were studying how man-made armoring, such as seawalls, impact the ecology of beaches in Chile and California. They had surveyed 9 beaches in Chile when something very unexpected happened on 27 February 2010– an 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit.

sea walls in chile before and after earthquake

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2010/us2010tfan/

Rather than be discouraged at the change in their project, the scientists realized what a unique opportunity they had to study the effects of an earthquake on the beaches of Chile. The scientists altered their study to instead look at the recovery of the marine plants and animals and the long-term effects of the earthquake on the beaches. It may not be obvious, but conducting scientific research requires you to be flexible. While you might have a well thought out theory or hypothesis, as you work through your investigation, new data or changes in the study environment will require you to go back and reassess your strategy. This is the scientific method in action and more often than not, leads to stronger research conclusions.

Before the earthquake, the scientists had learned that seawalls and other types of armoring actually lead to smaller beaches and less diversity of plants and animals living at the beaches. A seawall covers up parts of the beach habitat and over time, more and more sand is lost. Eventually, the beach will drown, or become nonexistent.

seawall in california

An example of a seawall at a beach in California (Photo Credit: David Hubbard)

After the earthquake, the scientists realized that some of the beaches that were drowning before the earthquake were now being restored.   Sometimes during earthquakes, there can be an uplift of material (like sand or rocks), which is what happened to some of the beaches in Chile.   They also found that many of the marine animals that were gone from the location for years before the earthquake were moving back into the newly restored beaches within a few weeks.

uplifted rocks

Uplifted rocks after the earthquake (Photo Credit: Mario Manzano)

This team of scientists embraced the unexpected and ended up finding some very important results!

Have you found something unexpected while doing GLOBE protocols? Or has something unexpected happened while you were doing an investigation? Send us an email at science@globe.gov or add a comment to let us know!

-Julie Malmberg

Posted in Earth System Science, General Science, Scientists | 4 Comments

Changing climate in Near East North Africa – potential problems

Posted on 05/23/2012 by wordpressadmin

When it comes to climate, each GLOBE region is faced with its own unique problems.  We’ve taken a look at different regions and their problems, such as trees in trouble in North America as well as the Sahel region of Africa, melting glaciers in Chile, and changes in fruit ripening in the United Kingdom.  Wild weather, from frigid winter temperatures in Europe to an oscillation between droughts and floods in Australia leave many wondering what the link is to climate.  For the Near East North Africa Region, a changing climate touches many aspects of life.

The Near East North Africa region is very sensitive to even small shifts in climate.  This region is one of the world’s most water scarce, and is also known for its extreme temperatures.  Some regions of Saudi Arabia, for example, can see daily maximum temperatures above 54°C.  So it is of no surprise that countries in this region have needed to adapt their activities to deal with harsh environmental conditions.  Any change in either temperature or precipitation could have a drastic effect on life in the region.

A caravan of camels crossing the Ad Dahna desert in Saudi Arabia

A caravan of camels crossing the Ad Dahna desert in Saudi Arabia (from wikicommons)

One potential consequence of climate change is an increase in frequency of droughts and higher temperatures in the region.  This could lead to water stressing, a phenomena that results in ground water resources being extracted beyond the aquifer’s ability to replenish.  With more droughts, the success of agriculture could fluctuate more widely, with years of surplus followed by years of deficit, with a trend toward the latter.  This also could lead to water and air quality issues, resulting in a challenge to all plant, animal and human life.

In the near future, many of these issues will be addressed, as Qatar will host a climate-change talk to boost environmental efforts in the region.  According to an article on Bloomberg.com Qatar is looking into cutting emissions, as the country is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide per person in the region.  Saudi Arabia is looking to create a solar industry capable of generating a third of its electricity by 2032.  It is hoped that this meeting and efforts from countries in the region will mitigate some of the potential problems from shifts in climate!

Participation in GLOBE from this region has been on the rise, and it would be beneficial to see even more data entered from the region!   The next Great Global Investigation of Climate is coming up in June, and it is an easy way to get involved! Are you a GLOBE school in the region that has been taking air temperature or precipitation measurements?  How could you use those measurements to learn more about your climate?  We’d love to hear from you!  Leave us a comment or send us an email at science@globe.gov!

-Jessica Mackaro

Posted in General Science, Near East and North Africa | 4 Comments

From the Desk of a GLOBE Teacher – Part 2: Incorporating GLOBE into the Classroom

Posted on 05/16/2012 by wordpressadmin

Last week, Mr. Dickson, a GLOBE teacher, shared his experiences and how GLOBE has impacted his teaching.  This week, he will let us know how he was able to easily incorporate GLOBE into his classroom.

My adventure to becoming a GLOBE teacher was all because I took advantage of the opportunities presented to me.  The school that I teach at is an inner city school with adequate resources for basic science needs, but lacking in technology to monitor such things as water quality, biomass, etc.  I was struggling to find ways to get my students involved with research.  Luckily, while studying at Southern Connecticut State University, I registered for an ecology class taught by Professor Scott Graves.

Dr. Graves has been a GLOBE trainer in Connecticut for a number of years.  In an effort to promote the GLOBE program, Dr. Graves teaches about it in his ecology courses, demonstrating that it is not only a successful research program for students, but that it costs next to nothing to participate in.  Within weeks, I had learned how to create a densitometer to measure tree canopy using nothing more than a piece of PCP piping, dental floss and a paper clip!  Measuring tree height required only a piece of cardboard, a printout measuring guide, a piece of string, and a paperclip.  I didn’t need to purchase any tools; I simply needed to create some using materials that I already had.

Mr. Dickson's students performing hydrology protocols

(Note from The GLOBE Program Office – Is your teacher GLOBE trained?  If not, he or she can contact a local partner or country coordinator to see about future training opportunities!  Find the closest one by clicking on your country here: http://classic.globe.gov/fsl/INTL/table.pl?.)

Technology was the next step.  With research, I discovered that Yale University and Southern Connecticut State University provide outreach programs to local New Haven and West Haven, CT schools.  Through a loaner program, I could borrow equipment whenever needed as long as I scheduled a time with professors to borrow them.  As I researched further, I discovered that almost every college/university in the United States provides assistance to high schools.  With the assistance of Dr. Graves and Thomas Parlpiano of Yale, I had Vernier probeware equipment and other water chemistry tools.  Now that I had the technology, I needed a site.

This, again, was a far less rigorous task than I assumed it to be.  Every town has property set-aside as watershed properties, or ecological reserves.  They allow, in fact appreciate, schools that assist in monitoring water quality and/or biomass because it keeps them informed with the condition of their reserve while giving students a place to perform their research.  With the assistance of Dr. Graves and the West Haven City Council, I discovered our Cove River research site right behind our school.  It is a watershed located right on Long Island Sound where Cove River transitions from fresh water to salt water.  It is a deciduous forest that provides habitat to many species of animals and plants.  The opportunity was presented to the city of West Haven for free monitoring of their Cove River site and the students of my school were given a chance to study the ecology of Cove River right behind their school.  By simply asking the people that I work with, the professors with whom I study, and the town council, I had the technology and the place to study, for free!

Cove River Habitat

Using the resources that I had through local universities (especially SCSU), the new GLOBE resources that were sent to me as part of my participation in the From Learning to Research project, and inspiration to include year-long project based research in their curriculum, I set into motion projects my students completed this year.  GLOBE presented this wonderful opportunity; all I needed to do was convince my students to take advantage of it.  The research and accomplishments that they made this year will carry with them through college and their future career.

-Mr. Kevin Dickson

Mr, Dickson’s students spent this past school year working on climate research projects studying their local environment.  Have you been part of a research project about your local environment?  Let us know by sending an email to science@globe.gov or adding a comment.

Posted in General Science | 5 Comments

From the Desk of a GLOBE Teacher – Part 1: How to save the world by simply taking advantage of the opportunities presented to you

Posted on 05/09/2012 by wordpressadmin

We have a guest blogger this week!  Mr. Kevin Dickson is a very active GLOBE teacher at West Haven High School in West Haven, Connecticut.  He is also part of the NSF-funded From Learning to Research project with the GLOBE Program. We are glad Mr. Dickson could take some time out of his busy schedule to share his experiences!

The GLOBE program was created with one thing in mind, helping to track global climate change by taking advantage of the research that is being done in schools throughout the world.  Students and teachers are monitoring water quality and biomass (and many other protocols) in classes such as Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science using technology that incorporates Math and Physics every day in their classes.  This is sound, viable climate data for the area in which the school resides.  Using data from schools around the world provides accurate data for climate analysis of the Earth.  Teachers united under the GLOBE program are taking advantage of their student’s success, and in doing so,their schools are helping to save the world.

Kevin Dickson and students

Mr. Dickson and his students pose for a picture

Making GLOBE part of any curriculum is easy.  Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, Physics, Marine Science, you name it, it’s covered in the GLOBE program.  By setting aside one day a month, your students can travel to your site for a few hours to collect data without ever disrupting your curriculum.  Studying pH and salinity –  set measuring pH and salinity a goal of your data collection.  Studying photosynthesis – use the monitoring of biomass at different seasons and at day and night as opportunities to evaluate environmental impacts on photosynthesis.  The opportunities are endless.  GLOBE planned their program to address current school initiatives; all you have to do is take advantage of them.  With the curriculum aligned, and the tools to perform the research in hand, the GLOBE program at West Haven was ready to begin.

I took those steps over a few months five years ago.  In the past five years, the GLOBE program has evolved from students of all levels (I teach levels of alternative education students to levels of Honors and AP) going out a few times a year to measure water quality and canopy cover to add to the GLOBE database, to now performing research based projects throughout an entire year.  The research projects that were performed by my students this year included monitoring the impact of acid rain on water quality, how invasive plants change a water shed, how the land cover of Cove River has changed through the ages based on archeological digs, and how influences of surrounding restaurants and businesses change the water quality due to pollution and eutrophication.  When I started this project, five years ago, I had no clue it would develop into the success that it has become today.

West Haven High School students studying the tree canopy

Last year, I took a special GLOBE training where I met with teachers from all over the country to learn about and practice the GLOBE protocols and to discuss how to use the protocols in our classrooms.  We left this program motivated and ready to transfer our excitement to our students.  Within the first week of school, I knew I had a class full of ambitious students; all they needed was some motivation.  I included in their Biology class a yearlong project based program where they had to decide what aspect of the Cove River site ecology they wanted to study (atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, anthrosphere) and then research it throughout the year.  Today I collected their reports and poster projects.  I immediately ran to my administration to share their success.  My students had completed lab reports and poster presentations equivalent to those of a college level course.  This success happened because I took advantage of the opportunities presented to me through my GLOBE trainings, and because my students took advantage of the opportunities I presented to them.  The entire cost of my GLOBE project over the past five years has cost me less than $50.00.  There isn’t a single student out there who isn’t ambitious to make a difference; all they need is a little motivation.  Present them with the motivation that they need, and you to will be able to help them save the world, its that easy.

-Mr. Kevin Dickson

In our next part in the series, learn how Mr. Dickson became a GLOBE teacher and how he created the tools he needs to do the GLOBE Protocols with his students.

Do you have an amazing GLOBE teacher?  Tell us why your teacher is awesome!  Send an email to science@globe.gov or add a comment!

Posted in Earth System Science, General Science, GLOBE Protocols | 1 Comment