Have you noticed that extreme weather is becoming more common? Document weather changes near you and share your data to help scientists make better weather forecasts so we can all plan for floods, droughts, hurricanes and, on a lighter note, fun, outdoor events! Our collective data can also help people in the world’s most vulnerable areas.
(Ben Franklin and other Founding Fathers kept daily, detailed weather logs. To learn more, check out Benjamin Franklin: Citizen Science, a virtual tour from the American Philosophical Society.)
Cheers,
The SciStarter Team
Find Projects to Join On Our Weather Page
Meteorological Phenomena Identification Near the Ground (mPING) needs you to submit reports of the weather you’re experiencing through a mobile app. Researchers at NOAA National Weather Service compare your reports to their radar measurements to make better weather forecasts.
Location: Global
Each time a rain, hail or snow storm occurs, take measurements of precipitation from your registered location (reports of zero precipitation are encouraged too!).
The data are used by the National Weather Service, meteorologists, hydrologists, emergency managers, city utilities, ranchers and farmers and more to better understand precipitation near them.
Location: Global
During hazardous weather, such as severe thunderstorms, floods, tornadoes, snow and ice storms, SKYWARN volunteers are trained to safely report what’s happening at their location.
Since the program started in the 1970s, the information from SKYWARN spotters has enabled the NWS to issue more timely and accurate warnings for severe weather.
Take a 2-hour class online or in your area to join the national network of over 350,000 volunteer weather spotters!
Location: U.S.
What you see change in your backyard, neighborhood, and city is important researchers’ understanding of how climate change and weather affect our communities. Your observations and block-by-block insights can help cities, engineers and local organizations advocate for and create solutions to climate challenges.
Post your stories and photos of what you see and how it’s affecting you. ISeeChange will sync your stories to local weather data and trends.
Location: Global
The National Weather Service keeps a list of their favorite citizen science projects.
Check out their page for even more projects that want your help studying the weather.
Events and Opportunities:
Come See SciStarter at the Wisconsin Science Festival!
October 22
The four-day Wisconsin Science Festival is a statewide celebration with events across Wisconsin for people of all ages. SciStarter will be at the festival on October 22 in Madison, Wisconsin for the Science on the Square event from 5 PM – 9 PM! Engage in citizen science projects live and in-person in Madison’s Central Business District.
Great Southern BioBlitz
October 21-25
Using iNaturalist, the Great Southern Bioblitz asks volunteers in the southern hemisphere to submit images and observations of where different plants, animals and fungi occur, while also pin-pointing invasive species.
Everyone, everywhere is invited to help identify species in the images between October 21-25.
RSVP today for October’s Great Southern BioBlitz
CitSciOz21 Virtual Conference
October 26-29
SciStarter is a supporter of CitSciOz21 – an online citizen science conference experience centered around the themes of Celebrate, Communicate and Co-Create for Australian and global citizen science.
Professional Development for Libraries: How to Host a Citizen Science Program
November 10
RSVP for a free webinar to explore how libraries can become partners in citizen and community science engagement. Learn how to access a suite of free event resources developed by Arizona State University and SciStarter to support libraries as community hubs for citizen science.
Make your library into a citizen science hub!
New on the Blogs:
Are Dogs Aware of Their Own Thinking? Volunteers with Canine Metacognition Put Pups to the Test! via the SciStarter Blog
Verizon Volunteers Sped Up Alzheimer’s Research. Here’s How You Can Help via the SciStarter Blog
Exploring Biodiversity in Great Smoky Mountains National Park via the SciStarter Blog
Keep Exploring
Discover more citizen science on the SciStarter calendar. Did you know your SciStarter dashboard helps you track your contributions to projects? Complete your profile to access free tools. Want even more citizen science? Check out SciStarter’s Project Finder! With citizen science projects spanning every field of research, task and age group, there’s something for everyone!