Jessica Taylor NASA Langley Research Center

GLOBE Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Began Countries 54,000 Teachers 24,000 Schools 1.5 M Students 22 M Measurements

Temperature Protocols See Current Air Temperature Protocol xmin.pdf Considerations Instrumentation Availability of Instrument(s)/Weather Shelter/Location Scientific discovery What do you want to know? So, what type of data do you need to collect?

Instrumentation Options

Measurement Impacts

Predict Impacts

Intro to Instrument Shelter Investigation Purpose: Discover what environmental variables (physical or placement) can influence temperature measurement In the classroom: Each student investigation team receives two thermometers for comparison Check thermometers against each other with same variables Then place thermometers in comparison settings, recording temperature every 5 minutes until temperature has stabilized

Physical Characteristics Major characteristics that may influence temperature inside: The color of the shelter; The slits in the sides of the shelter; The materials of which the shelter is made.

Placement of Shelter Why should the shelter be located away from buildings and trees? Why should it be placed over a natural surface, such as grass? Why should it be placed 1.5 meters above the ground? Why should the shelter be oriented with the door facing north in the northern hemisphere and south in the southern hemisphere? Why is the thermometer not supposed to touch the shelter?

Student Shelter Investigation What to investigate and how Each team should choose or is assigned a property to explore Physical Property Examples Paint one shelter white and one black; Make one shelter with slits and one without (paint both white); If you are using ready-made boxes, then use white paper to construct a shelter of similar shape and size to the cardboard one. Paint the cardboard shelter white. Use a tin can and a box of the same size and shape.

Student Shelter Investigations (cont) Placement Examples: Effect of shelter height Effect of the thermometer touching the shelter wall Effect of ground surface Effect of proximity to buildings/trees Effect of directions of shelter

Instrument Shelter Set-Up Locate away from obstacles Shelter should face away from the equator Ground cover should be grassy Temperature sensor should be 1.5 m above the ground After set-up, complete the site definition

Temperature with Instrument Shelter Instruments Digital Mulit-Day Max/Min U-Tube Thermometer HOBO Data Logger Benefits Instruments already out Already equilibrated to outside More data

Temperature without Instrument Shelter Instruments Calibration Thermometer Sling-psychrometer Considerations Takes 3-5 min to equilibrate Minimize ‘influences’ when reading T Record every 3 min Avoid Direct Sun Consider Ground cover Transporting instrumentation Calibration

Submerge calibration thermometer in an ice-water bath for minutes, stir occasionally Calibration thermometer should read between -0.5° C and +0.5° C

Temperature Test Taking accurate temperature readings Do not breathe on, touch, stand too close or expose the thermometer to direct sunlight when using it. Read thermometer at eye level Read temperature from base of indicators Record current temperature Record maximum and minimum temperatures Record date and time (UTC) If no measurement for previous day, record only current temperature Reset maximum and minimum temperature markers

Inquiry Context Which season has the highest temperature? Lowest temperature? Why? How does the soil temperature range compare with the air temperature range? What are the latitudes and elevations of other GLOBE schools with atmosphere temperature data similar to yours?

Related GLOBE Learning Activities Studying the Instrument Shelter Building a Thermometer Available online at: climate/learning-activities