Category: Climate & Weather

Want to learn more about this initiative? Check out the Wicked Hot Boston series, Parts One and Two. Want to address climate hazards in your community? Head over to SciStarter.org/NOAA to find a citizen science project. Wicked Hot Boston It’s true: the world is getting hotter, and Boston is becoming WICKED hot.  This past summer, […]

This blog post is an edited excerpt from Human Impact, a new publication from Science Connected. Edited by Kate Stone and Shayna Keyles, Human Impact delivers 17 true tales of how humanity has changed the Earth, for better or for worse. This chapter appears in Human Impact as “Act Now: Engaging in Citizen Science,” and includes contributions […]

Want to map extreme heat in your community? Anyone, anywhere can take action with ISeeChange. It’s not just in your head; Boston really is hotter in the summer. When urban areas are warmer than surrounding non-urban environments, we experience a phenomenon called the urban heat island (UHI) effect.  Cities are filled with large amounts of […]

NASA GLOBE Observer needs your help recruiting volunteer citizen scientists to report dust storms. Scientists want these data so they can improve forecasts of dust storms and send early warnings to the public. How can you help? Tell people in your community that if they see a dust storm, please report it using the GLOBE […]

How can you help beat extreme heat? Imagine a smoldering hot day in downtown Boston: temperatures have reached over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sidewalks and streets are absorbing the strong heat from the sun and radiating it back into the air.  Days like this are becoming hotter and more frequent. This “silent storm” causes […]

Audubon’s Climate Watch Program needs volunteers to help it spot 12 birds threatened by climate change. Are you in? “Hope is the thing with feathers/ That perches in the soul,” Emily Dickinson wrote. Is there hope for our feathered friends in the era of climate change? Yes, but they need our help. More than 300 […]

Spring is a great time to start using the GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper. Have you noticed any mosquitoes yet? Spring is upon us in the United States, and mosquitoes are already buzzing in many parts of the country. Below is a map that shows the approximate onset of the mosquito season throughout the contiguous […]

Nature’s Notebook is a citizen science project focused on the signs of the seasons. Participants can track the changes in plants and animals in their own backyards. How do you know when spring arrives? Is it when the first flower buds appear on your favorite tree, when the daylight hours lengthen, or when the first […]

2018 was a great year for Citizen Science! More than 3,000 projects and events are now registered on SciStarter. There’s something for everyone, everywhere. In this edition of the newsletter, we are honoring the Top 18 Projects of 2018: projects that our collective community shared, participated in, and loved. Cheers! The SciStarter Team GLOBE Observer: […]

England’s Royal Society, the national academy founded on November 28, 1660, is still churning out loads of scientific excellence. In this blog, a current fellow shares how we can all help combat climate change. On November 28, 1660, English scientist Christopher Wren spoke at Gresham College in Central London, launching what is now the Royal […]