Summer2023CloudUpdate - Clouds Protocol

NASA GLOBE Clouds Quarterly Update

June/July/August 2023

GLOBE Observer Connect: 13 July 2023

The East Coast of the United States has been recently experiencing smoke plumes from wildfires in Canada causing air quality issues for the region. Through the clouds tool, many have reported their observations and images of these events. But, the East Coast is not the only location that has been affected by these plumes. On July 13 at 8pm ET (0:00 UTC on 14 July), join Samantha Borah, a graduate student at Sitting Bull College, and Marilé Colón Robles, GLOBE Clouds lead, to talk about smoke events. Samantha will share her experiences monitoring air quality in her community near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation during wildfire season. Register to attend at http://observer.globe.gov/go-connect.

GLOBE Clouds by the Numbers

The GLOBE Clouds Team would like to share some exciting numbers! Thank you to the amazing GLOBE community. Repeat observations are necessary to understand changes in our atmosphere:

Cloud Observation Tip: Finding the Satellite Match Table of a Photo

You may have uploaded photos when you make your GLOBE Clouds observations using the GLOBE Observer app. Did you know that you can look at the satellite match table associated with clouds photos on the GLOBE visualization system?

1. Go to the GLOBE website.
2. On the top menu, click on GLOBE Data > Visualize Data.
3. Click on Enter the Visualization System.
4. Click on the Protocol Layers icon.
   
5. Select Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Photos and hit Submit.
6. Click on any of the cloud photos on the map to explore it.
7. Click on the Measurements tab.
   
8. Click on the “Open in New Window” link to look at the Satellite Matching table!

Meet an Expert: Roger Rose

Roger Rose is a middle school science teacher in Alpena, AR. He has been teaching 5th and 6th grade science for 19 years and has been involved with GLOBE for 7 years.

Question: Where are you from and where do you work?
Answer: I live in NW Arkansas, about 20 miles south of Branson Missouri, near the small town of Alpena, population 397. I work at the Alpena Elementary/Middle School and this next year I will be teaching 5th grade Math & Science. For the past 19 years, I have taught 5th & 6th grade Science with a few other subjects added in from year to year. The Alpena School District has approximately 480 students, K-12.

Question: What inspired you to be a teacher?
Answer: Growing up I always enjoyed school. I worked in construction during the summers and then for another 6 years after I graduated High School. Next, I moved on to working on a cattle ranch for 8 years and worked for a water well drilling company for another 10 years. Along the way I gained knowledge, experience, and also suffered a few injuries. While I was working for the water well drilling company, I became involved in volunteering at the local school and sponsored trips for 6th graders to go to Huntsville, Alabama to Space Camp for their class trip at the end of each year. I was also appointed to the Alpena School Board. I had the opportunity to attend a week-long conference for the Arkansas Leadership Academy. It was then that I realized that I wanted to do more in education than just serve as a school board member. So, I decided to go to college to become an elementary teacher. It took me 6 years, working full time, taking care of my family, and managing our family cattle farm to finally receive my teaching degree. Along the way, I took extra classes so that when I finished, I was certified to teach pre-K through 8th grade, all subjects.

Question: How did you become a NASA teacher intern?
Answer: My journey to becoming an intern for NASA began with Lynne Hehr from the Center for Math & Science Education at the University of Arkansas. She introduced me to the GLOBE program about 7 years ago. Mrs. Hehr made it possible for my students to attend several GLOBE SRS events to present their research. She has been a great mentor on my journey through GLOBE and has introduced me to some amazing GLOBE and NASA individuals. I was introduced to Dixon Butler and through his YLACES foundation, my students have received many opportunities to conduct research and attend various GLOBE events. During the GLOBE Annual meeting during July 2019 in Detroit, I was introduced to members of NASA and the GLOBE Clouds Team. Since then, my students have had the opportunity to participate in several GLOBE events. It has been a long journey, but because of the hard work of my students, and connections I have made along the way, I was encouraged to apply for an internship with NASA for this summer. I am very excited about the opportunities I will have working with NASA and the opportunities that my experiences will help me provide for my students in the future.

Question: What is your favorite part about your work with GLOBE?
Answer: My favorite part about working with GLOBE is that it gives my students opportunities to conduct research, share their work, and travel. Without GLOBE, many of my students would not have these types of opportunities. They enjoy having their information posted to the GLOBE webpage for their Student Research Reports and Nature Notes. My students are excited to be conducting real world experiments and collecting data that means something to other people in the world. They get excited when they see the name of our school scroll across the GLOBE webpage after they submit data. The other great part of working with GLOBE, for me, is getting to meet new people and make new friends in the scientific community from around the world.

Question: Do you have any exciting plans for the summer?
Answer: This summer I’d like to spend some time with my grandchildren, go to the zoo, and hang out with some friends at the river. I’m also looking forward to making new friends through my internship with NASA and having a great time as I work with the GLOBE clouds Team.

Question: Anything else you would like to add?
Answer: I’m married, have three children, 4 grandchildren and one great grandchild. I enjoy having fun when I work. This year I will be teaching 5th grade math and science. I also drive a school bus, take care of our farm, and work at a home improvement/hardware/lumber store part time, averaging about 25-30 hours per week. I like to stay busy.

Science Topic: The Impact of Dust

Dust particles may seem tiny, but their effects can be huge! When suspended in the air, dust can heat or cool the atmosphere. Dust particles can also provide a surface on which water vapor can change into liquid droplets or ice crystals to form clouds. Dust particles also reduce air quality, affecting our health. Sometimes, dust can provide nutrients when it settles on water or land. Other times, when dust mixes with snow, it can accelerate melting by increasing the absorption of sunlight. This means that dust plays an important role in the temperature of Earth’s surface as well. Large amounts of dust can also be transported by strong winds. Therefore, dust that originated in one continent can end up affecting a different continent. At times, dust mixes with already existing tropical clouds. When that happens, rainy disturbances are created, and they can either dissipate or become powerful storms. From time to time, a dust storm can be formed too. This is a wall of dust that can be several thousands feet high! It is blown into an area by the wind, and it can have devastating effects. While some dust in the air can lower visibility, a dust storm can completely block visibility. Without being able to see behind and in front of a car, drivers can have accidents. Their vehicles can also lose traction when there is dust on the pavement. As you can see, dust can impact us in many different ways. There are also different ways in which you can help scientists that do research about dust. When you make GLOBE clouds observations, you are asked to report the sky color and the sky visibility. Milkier and hazier skies may be related to more dust in the air. Also, if you can safely observe a dust storm, you can use the GLOBE Observer app to let us know about it. When prompted about cloud cover, select “Obscured”. Then, check the box for “Dust” and submit photos if you can!