GLOBE Observer - Citizen Science

  This weekend, I recorded by fifth cloud observation in GLOBE Observer. It is interesting noting how much the weather and sky has changed in the past week. Even throughout a given day, like today for example, many different clouds from high cirrocumulus clouds to low stratocumulus clouds have passed through. One thing seems to remain fairly consistent: visibility is usually somewhat hazy. I live in a valley and, although rural, the air quality is usually listed as poor. 

 My first observation with GLOBE Observer was through the cloud monitoring. The app walks you through the different types of clouds that could be present before asking questions (accompanied by photos for reference) about the sky and surrounding environment. Then, you have the option to submit photos of north, south, west, east, straight up and straight down (they are also interested in the ground conditions). Today is a very clear sunny day with slight haze in long-range visibility. GLOBE presents you with an 'award' for completing your first observation, see above. As you complete more observations, GLOBE presents you with more awards. Below shows some of the questions and what various cloud/sky conditions might look like. 

  Topic of study:  Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)  Observer is a citizen science project that tracks clouds, water, and plants around the world. Check out the website:  https://observer.globe.gov/ . I will be specifically focused on the GLOBE Observer - Clouds project which is focused on gathering cloud and general weather data from citizen scientists and comparing that to satellite data and existing models for cloud predictions.  Researchers and organizers: While GLOBE Programs are designed so that data can be gathered and analyzed all over the world, the main sponsor of the GLOBE Program is the  National Aeronautics and Space Administration  (NASA). GLOBE also gets support from other U.S. federal agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of State (DoS). There are researchers monitoring and analyzing data with GL...