GLOBE Seasons and Biomes Project and Climate Change

Elena Bautista Sparrow1

Mike Dunn2

1International Arctic Research Center and School of Natural Resources & Agricultural Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks

2North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

GLOBE Seasons and Biomes Project and Climate Change

• Overview of the IPY GLOBE Seasons and Biomes project

• Vegetation Phenology, Climate, Earth system processes

• Inquiry Exercise• GLOBE Phenology measurement protocols

- budburst

- Green-up

- Green-down

Greenhouse gas concentrations of the past 1000 years

Northern Hemispheres of the past 1000 years

We know that the earth’s surface has warmed in recent decades

Precipitation trends, 1900-2000(greener = wetter, orange = drier)

Dr. Elena Sparrow1, Dr. Jessica Robin2, Dr. Leslie Gordon3, Ms. Kim Morris1, Dr. David Verbyla1, Dr. Elissa Levine4, Dr. Martin Jeffries5, Ms. Martha Kopplin1 and, Dr. Rebecca Boger1 University of Alaska Fairbanks2Science Systems Applications, Inc./NASA-GSFC3 Gordon Consulting, Neskowin, Oregon4 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center5 National Science Foundation6 GLOBE Program Office

GLOBE Seasons and BiomesGLOBE Seasons and Biomes

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is an international science and education program that brings togetherscientists, educators, K-12 teachers and students in studying the Earth as a System

Inquiry and Science Processes

Inquiry Process and Science Process

Ask Question Hypothesis Methodology Data Collection Data Reporting Analysis Conclusions Report Results and Peer Review

K-12 Teachers and Students

Research Scientists

Learning Science

Generation of Knowledge

What is Seasons and Biomes?

• Seasons and Biomes is an inquiry- and project- based initiative that monitors seasons, specifically their interannual variability to increase K-12 students’ understanding of the Earth system.

• The project connects GLOBE students, teachers, and communities with educators and scientists from three Earth Systems Science Programs (ESSP)– International Arctic Research Center (IARC)– NASA Terra Satellite– NASA Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM)

Seasons and Biomes Other Collaborators

• GLOBE Partners include: GLOBE Alaska, Iowa, Gaullaudet, Ohio, Texas, Argentina, Bahrain, Cameroon, Czech Republic, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Norway, Russia, Switzerland

• Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research

• UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences• UAF Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research• Alaska EPSCoR program• Univ. of Southern Maine• Norwegian Environmental Education Network• IPY Office at Cambridge, UK• National Phenology Network• NOAA Education Office

 

Seasons and Biomes Objectives

• Engage K-12 students in Earth system science research to learn science process skills and inquiry

• Provide teacher professional development in Earth system science and inquiry

• Provide increased connectivity of K-12 teachers and students with scientists

• Increase understanding of technology used in Earth system science

• Build diverse Earth system science learning communities locally that connect globally

• Engage in the International Polar Year pre-college students from polar and non-polar regions.

Photos courtesy of GLOBE Bahrain, Ghana, and USA

In Seasons & Biomes, GLOBE schools will be organized by biomes

into Global Learning Communities.

What is a Global Learning Community (GLC) ?

• A global learning community is a network of GLOBE schools organized by biomes.

• Biomes include:– Tundra, Taiga, Deciduous Forest, Tropical Forest,

Grasslands, Savannah, Shrubland, Desert, Agricultural and Urban

• The project will target two GLCs each year and will focus on Tundra and Taiga biomes initially to correspond with International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2009.

How can studying seasonal change help students better

understand Earth as a system?• Seasons connect all five spheres of the Earth

system - atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere.

• Interactions between these five spheres affect the timing and duration of seasons.

• By monitoring seasons, students will increase their understanding of how interactions within the Earth system affect their local seasons and how these variations affect their communities as well as regional and global environments.

 

Photos courtesy of the GLOBE, Alaska GLOBE and ALISON programs

What will students do ?

Budburst

Ice phenology

Mosquito phenology

GLOBE protocols• Vegetation phenology• Atmosphere• Land cover• Soils• Hydrology

Green-down

Green-up

What about satellite data?

• Landsat and MODIS satellite data will be used to teach students:– what biomes are– how they are classified– how to identify their region’s biome– how they may be used in student inquiries

• In turn, the students’ field measurements collected during their field campaigns will validate the satellite data.

 

How is Seasons and Biomes relevant to the broader

community?• This project will contribute to Earth system science

measurements and validations of remotely sensed data needed for

- better understanding of carbon and water cycling - regional climate impact assessments - prevention and management of diseases• Various cultures utilize seasons as calendars for their

work activities

 

Join the Seasons and Biomes Team

What is Phenology?

• The study of recurring biological cycles and their connection to climate

• Bird migrations and timing of egg-laying

• Insect outbreaks

• Fish spawning

GLOBE vegetation phenology

• Investigates the timing and length of terrestrial plant activity

• Leaf emergence, expansion, and senescence

Why should anyone care

• Four reasons:– Education– Climatology– Carbon cycle– Integrator of Earth as a system

1. Education

• Phenology occurs nearly everywhere

• Easily observable

• Closely connected with the Earth System

• Most people are unaware

For students

• Simple to set up inquiries based on phenological observations

• Excellent example of how variation in climate can influence the development of plants

2. Climatology

• Climate does affect phenology• But plant phenology also affects climate• The partitioning of net radiation into latent

and sensible heatRn = LE + H

• When we have plants, more energy is used in latent heat, reducing sensible heat

• Albedo – plants are usually darker than soils– Absorb more radiation

Critical feature

• Processes occurring at the leaf level strongly influence global processes

• The movement of water vapor out of leaves and CO2 into leaves, which is a function of phenology, is tremendously important for Earth System Science

3. Carbon cycle

• Much recent research has suggested that the length of active plant growth has been extended

Myneni,R.B. et.al. 1997. Nature, 386, 698-702.

Increase in plant growing season lengthaccording to remotely sensed data

There is a need for ground observations/data.

Slope = -0.25 days per year

23-Apr

28-Apr

3-May

8-May

13-May

18-May

23-May

28-May

1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998

Date of leaf-out in Fairbanks (Chena Ridge) 1974-1998

Data courtesy of J. Anderson

Northern Greening (1981 – 1999)

Image courtesy of Liming Zhou, Boston U.

3. Carbon cycle

• Much recent research has suggested that the length of active plant growth has been extended

• May mean increased carbon storage

[from G. Juday, UAF]

3. Carbon cycle

• Much recent research has suggested that the length of active plant growth has been extended

• May mean increased carbon storage

• Responsible for the up and down appearance of the global CO2 curve

We know that greenhouse gas concentrations are increasing(a 20% increase over the past 40 years)

4. Earth as a system

Plant phenological variation is influenced by many areas of the Earth system– Climate– Hydrology– Soils– Biology– Human activity

The snow – albedo feedback loop

Decreases in albedo

Decreases in snow cover

The greenhouse gas-ecosystem metabolism

feedback loop

Decreases in temperature

Enhancements in productivity greater than

enhancements in respiration

Increases in temperature

Increase in heat absorption

Increases in greenhouse

gases

Enhancements in respiration greater than

enhancements in productivity

Increases in growing season

length

The need

• General circulation models (GCMs) are increasingly incorporating phenology

• Models of plant phenology are needed to be incorporated into coupled land, ocean and atmosphere models

• Ground observations are needed to verify satellite data and to provide better models

Summary

Vegetation phenology is

• easy to observe

• integrates Earth system components

• influences many Earth system processes

• excellent biospheric measurement of vegetation response to climate variability

Summary

Engaging students in vegetation phenology research is a great way to teach and learn science

• content• skills• as a process

It is simple to set up inquiries based on phenological observations