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

Science in the Snow Audio and Video Podcast

Whenever you’re out frolicking in a winter wonderland, why not take a frolicking break every now and then to measure snow depth for your friends at the Community Snow Observations project? Your observations will help them verify data obtained from satellites and other remote sensing tools, and also fill in both spatial and temporal gaps … Read more “Science in the Snow Audio and Video Podcast”

Categories: Apps, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Environment, Featured Projects, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water, videos

SciStarter’s 2022 Holiday Gift Guide Is Here!

The best gift is one that keeps on giving, and these nifty tools and resources certainly fit the bill! We’ve got useful gifts for birdwatchers, skygazers and weather-trackers, as well as books that will inspire anyone’s curiosity. Even better, many of these ideas tie directly in with one or more citizen science projects on SciStarter. … Read more “SciStarter’s 2022 Holiday Gift Guide Is Here!”

Categories: Affiliate Tools, Animals, Apps, Astronomy & Space, Biology, Birds, book, Book Review, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Education, Environment, Field Guide to Citizen Science, Nature & Outdoors, Newsletter

A hand holding a smartphone in the woods. On screen is the Mountain Rain or Snow website.

How can it snow when temperatures are above freezing? Mountain Rain or Snow has the answer — and wants your help studying it

A glimpse at the temperature during the next snowfall might surprise you: It may not actually be below freezing outside. Don’t worry, your thermometer isn’t broken, and you didn’t miss a memo about a change in the laws of physics. There’s a straightforward reason why it can snow above 32°F — though it does make … Read more “How can it snow when temperatures are above freezing? Mountain Rain or Snow has the answer — and wants your help studying it”

Categories: Citizen Science, Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water, Other

This image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows a cross-section of the undersea, land and sky at Tafeu Cove in American Somoa.

Exploring Earth with NOAA Citizen Science

This post is based on the latest episode of our podcast, Citizen Science: Stories of Science We Can Do Together! In it, co-host Bob Hirshon and Caroline Nickerson discuss some of the inspiring citizen science work conducted under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Listen here: Citizen Science: Stories of Science … Read more “Exploring Earth with NOAA Citizen Science”

Categories: Apps, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Education, Environment, Featured Projects, Geology & Earth Sciences, Ocean & Water, Other, podcast

Radar is Revolutionizing the Study of Migrations, but Researchers Need Birdwatchers’ Help

For many of us, the sound of fall is defined by honking geese overhead and the calls of familiar songbirds in our yards. Every year, billions of birds, bats and insects take to the air in an ancient migration that leads them from the northern reaches of our continent to more temperate climates in the … Read more “Radar is Revolutionizing the Study of Migrations, but Researchers Need Birdwatchers’ Help”

Categories: Animals

Is Rainwater Safe to Drink? Runoff Collected by Volunteers Offers Clues

Life on Earth needs water to survive. Yet, drinkable water is a rapidly dwindling resource. Out of all the water on our planet, only 2.5 percent is freshwater. And of that 2.5 percent, just 0.3 percent is readily accessible as surface water. According to FreshWaterWatch, by the year 2050, half of the world’s population will … Read more “Is Rainwater Safe to Drink? Runoff Collected by Volunteers Offers Clues”

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

Citizen Science in the City

Do you live or work in a city? Well, have we got the projects for YOU! Below, we highlight research projects in need of your help in cities.  Find more projects on SciStarter to do now or bookmark your favorites for later! Cheers! The SciStarter Team

Categories: Citizen Science, Newsletter