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)
GLOBE Seasons and Biomes
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 Boger
1 University of Alaska Fairbanks
2Science Systems Applications, Inc./NASA-GSFC
3 Gordon Consulting, Neskowin, Oregon
4 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
5 National Science Foundation
6 GLOBE Program Office
The Global Learning and Observations to
Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)
Program is an international science and
education program that brings together
scientists, educators, K-12 teachers and
students in studying the Earth as a
System
Inquiry and Science Processes
Inquiry Process and
Science Process
K-12 Teachers
and Students
Learning
Science
Ask Question
Hypothesis
Methodology
Data Collection
Data Reporting
Analysis
Conclusions
Report Results
and Peer Review
Research
Scientists
Generation
of Knowledge
What is Seasons and
Biomes?
• Seasons and Biomes is an inquiry- and projectbased 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.
In Seasons & Biomes, GLOBE schools will be organized by biomes
into Global Learning Communities.
Photos courtesy of GLOBE Bahrain, Ghana, and USA
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) 20072009.
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.
What will students do ?
GLOBE protocols
• Vegetation phenology
• Atmosphere
• Land cover
• Soils
• Hydrology
Green-up
Ice phenology
Green-down
Budburst
Mosquito phenology
Photos courtesy of the GLOBE, Alaska GLOBE and ALISON programs
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 heat
Rn = 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
Increase in plant growing season length
according to remotely sensed data
Myneni,R.B. et.al. 1997. Nature, 386, 698-702.
There is a need for ground observations/data.
Date of leaf-out in Fairbanks (Chena Ridge) 1974-1998
28-May
23-May
18-May
13-May
8-May
3-May
Slope = -0.25 days per year
28-Apr
23-Apr
1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 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 greenhouse gasecosystem metabolism
feedback loop
Increases in
greenhouse
gases
Enhancements
in respiration
greater than
enhancements in
productivity
The snow – albedo
feedback loop
Increases in
temperature
Increases in
growing season
length
Enhancements in
productivity greater than
enhancements in
respiration
Decreases in
snow cover
Increase in
heat absorption
Decreases in
temperature
Decreases in
albedo
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