The purpose of this activity is to determine the amount of moisture input to the local environment by measuring rain and snowfall and to measure the pH of precipitation. To do so students use a rain gauge and a snowboard to measure the daily amount of precipitation. Special pH measuring techniques for precipitation are used to determine the pH of rain and melted snow. Intended outcomes are that students ... Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to record daily measurements of maximum, minimum, and current air and soil temperatures at a common site. One temperature probe is placed inside the instrument shelter while another is installed at a 10 cm depth in the soil. A digital thermometer is used to measure current temperatures as well as daily minimum and maximum temperatures. The daily minimum and maximum ... Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to introduct details on how to use digital soil thermometers. A digital thermometer is used to measure current temperatures as well as daily minimum and maximum temperatures. One temperature probe is placed at a depth of 5 cm in the soil while another is installed at a 50 cm depth. The daily minimum and maximum temperatures are stored by the instrument for a period ... Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to measure soil water content by mass. Students collect soil samples with a trowel or auger and weigh them, dry them, and then weigh them again. The soil water content is determined by calculating the difference between the wet sample mass and the dry sample mass. Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to determine the transparency of water. Students measure water transparency at their undisturbed study site using a transparency tube or Secchi disk. Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to measure the temperature of a water sample. Students use an alcohol-filled thermometer or meter to measure the temperature of water. The meter requires calibration before use; the accuracy of the thermometer needs to be checked before use. Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to explore the connections between cloud type, cloud cover, and weather and stimulate student interest in taking cloud type observations. Students observe cloud type and coverage and weather conditions over a five-day period and correlate these observations. Students make and test predictions using these observations. The intended outcome is that students learn to draw ... Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to discover why an instrument shelter is built the way it is. Students construct shelters that have varying properties and place them in the same location or place similar shelters in different locations and compare temperature data taken in each shelter. Students should predict what will happen for each of the different shelter designs or placements and perform the ... Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to explore soil and soil properties. Students discover the variability of soils, derive relationships among soils and the soil forming factors, and link the GLOBE Soil Investigation to the students. local environment. Students use soil samples from their homes to identify properties that characterize their soils. They compare and contrast their soils to those of their ... Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to characterize the physical and chemical properties for each horizon in a soil profile. Students identify the horizons of a soil profile at a soil characterization site, then measure and record the top and bottom depth for each horizon. For each horizon, students describe the structure, color, consistence, texture, and abundance of roots, rocks, and carbonates. Samples ... Full description.