GLOBECaching for Snowpack with Student Scientists

On April 24th, 2023 students from Alaska, Washington, and Montana gathered together at the Wedgewood Hotel and Conference Center in Fairbanks, Alaska for the Northwest Regional GLOBE Student Research Symposium.

In collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks  Arctic and Earth SIGNs (STEM Integrating GLOBE and NASA) , the  Alaska Interior Native Educators Association (AINE) , and GLOBE, sixty-five 1st-12th grade students from 16 communities across the northwest region gathered to share research they'd done through the GLOBE program.  GLOBE - Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment  - is a NASA citizen science program with protocols, lessons, and tools for students of all ages to use to conduct research projects relevant to their communities.

These amazing student scientists gathered to share their data with each other, with scientists, and with educators as well as participate in a jam-packed two days of science activities, collaborations, and discoveries.

One of these activities was a spin on geocaching, the idea of which came from a previous SRS (shoutout to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Region!) - GLOBECaching. Follow along to learn about our experiences GLOBEcaching, collecting snowpack samples, making and testing hypotheses, and above all, having a great time in spite of the bitterly cold late April weather.

Before we begin, let's set the stage. Firstly, why measure snowpack at all? Watch the video to learn more about another NASA program , SnowEx , as they study snow around the world to gain better understanding of how to best use remote sensing (images captured by satellites) to capture differences in snow. Citizen scientists taking on the ground measurements is an important part of ground truthing the satellite data!

The 2023 NW GLOBE Student Research Symposium took place at the end of a cold April. Luckily, the conference center hosts a trail system and is situated by a small lake known as Wander Lake. This provided our student scientists with ample opportunities to ask questions and devise hypotheses!

Prior to the teams' arrival, we hid 25 animal tokens (5 each of 5 different animals) between the trailhead and the lake (a distance of 0.5 miles, or a total 1 mile loop).

Once students arrived, we gave them a brief lay of the land and our goals and asked them to hypothesize on a question: Where would the snowpack be the deepest? In the forest? Or near the lake?

Students quickly came up with many hypotheses and explanations, including:

"The snow will be deepest by the lake because the trees aren't blocking the ground."

"In the forest, because the sun won't be able to melt the snow as fast in the shade."

"At the lake edge because the wind will drift all the snow up around the banks."

After forming their initial hypotheses, students were divided into teams representing students from 1-3 schools per team. Each team was given:

• 1  Data Sheet , Clipboard, and Pencil
• 1 GPS Unit
• 1 Meter Stick (with mm and cm)
• 1 Top Secret Animal Token

After a quick demonstration on the use of  GPS units  and the  GLOBE snowpack protocols , teams were sent into the woods to find their hidden animal tokens! At each location where they uncovered one of their animal tokens, they were to note the latitude and longitude of their location, take three snowpack measurements (reported in mm) and calculate the mean. They were also tasked to briefly describe the area.

With such a large group (65 students), we did this activity in three one-hour sessions, resetting the animal tokens in between each session so that we never had more than 20-25 students and their teachers on the trails at one time.

When teams returned, we discussed their findings. Most teams reported finding deeper snow at the edge of the lake. This prompted further questions: Why might this be? How would we find out? How would this be different in early or mid-winter?

After the symposium ended, we compiled the results into the map below and submitted all the students' data to the  NASA GLOBE website .

Many students observed that the snowpack seemed deepest near the lakeshore, although there were some areas in the forest where the snow was deep, and at least one where the snowpack was shallow near the lake edge, which may have been a data point taken on an observation platform, where the snow may have been more compressed.

By collecting this data and submitting it to the NASA GLOBE database, these student scientists are helping scientists improve the accuracy of remote sensing data. For example, take a look at the images below. These images are LANDSAT satellite images, and while they give a good picture of what is happening from above, they can't get the resolution (small details) or the understory (such as deep in the forest) that a committed group of citizen scientists can! Excellent work, Student Scientists!

If you're interested in GLOBECaching, modifying this activity to use with your students, or have questions, please reach out to us!