Five people with arms raised stand on a snow-capped mountain peak. They are collecting snow depth measurements.

From Backcountry to Backyard: Community Snow Observations Wants Your Snow Depth Measurements

Katreen Wikstrom Jones’ strongest memories from her winters growing up in Stockholm, Sweden are building snow tunnels on her porch. For the past ten years, Wikstrom Jones has been in Alaska, working for the state as a cryosphere hazard scientist. She originally got into snow science because she loves skiing, she says, and today snow … Read more “From Backcountry to Backyard: Community Snow Observations Wants Your Snow Depth Measurements”

Categories: Climate & Weather

It’s Raining Cats and Dogs and CoCoRaHS Wants to Know Where and How Many Fell

You may have noticed some strange weather recently where you live. For example, in February, it reached 100o in Mangum, Oklahoma when 56o is the average. For the first time ever, temperatures in Antartica rose to the high 60s. And when was the last time you saw a headline reading Hawaii Has Had More Snow … Read more “It’s Raining Cats and Dogs and CoCoRaHS Wants to Know Where and How Many Fell”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Project Profile

Citizen Science to track weather and climate change

Many scientists rely on “small data” from  volunteers to understand local and global weather patterns and climate change. Collectively, the data are used to calibrate weather instruments on NASA satellites, or by the National Weather Service to refine forecasts or flood warnings.  Below, we highlight five projects turning small data into big impacts.  You can … Read more “Citizen Science to track weather and climate change”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Newsletter

iSeeChange: documenting the weather around us

From shoveling the third heavy snowfall of winter to spotting the first crocus of spring, each day without fail we experience our environment. Meaning each of us is a potential wealth of information about our local environment. Information that if gathered could inform climate scientists about the local effects and potential indicators of climate change. … Read more “iSeeChange: documenting the weather around us”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors

Stop, Collaborate and…Vote! Help solve climate change with MIT’s Climate CoLab Project

Do you have an idea about how to approach climate change?  You’re not alone.  Thousands of other people around the world are coming up with potential solutions to one of the world’s most challenging problems, but until now they have not been able to easily connect. MIT’s Climate CoLab is attempting to change this by bringing … Read more “Stop, Collaborate and…Vote! Help solve climate change with MIT’s Climate CoLab Project”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Contest

Citizen Science: the Animated Movie

There should be more animated movies about citizen science, don’t you think? Thankfully, the people at a weather-focused citizen science project called the Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow project (known by the funny acronym CoCoRaHS) have made this video! It tells the story of how the project started and explains how people all over the country are getting involved. Watch and find out how you can become a CoCoRaHS volunteer too! … Read more

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather