The GLOBE Program

What if your everyday observations could help scientists study our planet better?🌏 With the🔎GLOBE Observer app, you can join a global community of #CitizenScientists and researchers working together to study Earth’s systems in real time. Just download the app and start contributing observations of: ☁️Clouds 🦟Mosquito habitats 🏞️Land cover 🌳Trees ➕And more! Your data helps scientists better understand the environment around us—from how clouds move energy around the planet to where mosquitoes may pose risks. Learn more and start observing here: observer.globe.gov

🤔🌏Want to learn about the GLOBE Program? We have an online course for you! Created by GLOBE Mission Earth, “GLOBE SPARKS: Supporting Practice, Awareness, Research, and Knowledge for Science” is an online course designed for educators who are new to GLOBE, as well as longtime members looking to refresh their knowledge. Lessons include updated guidance on account creation and website navigation, how to use GLOBE in the research process, and how to prepare implementation plans, lesson plans, project plans, and more. Learn more and access the course here: globe.gov/news-events/gl…

Please join us today at 12:00 pm ET (16:00 UTC) for the next GLOBE Observer Connect event, "Bringing Your Observations to Meteorologists,” and learn how GLOBE data benefits the meteorological community. Join us for a conversation with staff from the GLOBE Program Office, NOAA, and Synoptic Data. Learn more and register at tinyurl.com/yc6ct2df!

⏰REMINDER: The YLACES grant applications are due 31 March! ⤵️

Please join us today at 1:00 PM ET (17:00 UTC) for our latest Trees Around the GLOBE webinar, "The State of Trees - March 2026. Trees, Land Cover, Mangroves, Carbon: Featuring 2026 VSS Student Research Projects from Colombia, Italy, and Uruguay. Learn more about the webinar and the featured schools and talks at bit.ly/Trees91!

To learn more about the Blowing Snow pilot project, join us for a special GLOBE Observer Connect on the 26th of March at 12 pm ET (16:00 UTC)! This GLOBE Observer Connect conversation with Bill Line (NOAA NESDIS) and Christina Buffington (GIO and University of Alaska Fairbanks) will show how the blowing snow satellite product works and how GLOBE observations can continue to support it. Learn more and register at go.nasa.gov/4cx9Ll4

A new @NOAA article highlights the collaboration between NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) and the GLOBE Program—and how #CitizenScientists are helping test run a new satellite product designed to better detect blowing snow. Blowing snow can reduce visibility to near zero, creating dangerous conditions for ground and air travel. Because it depends on factors like wind speed, snowpack, and temperature, it can be especially challenging to forecast. NOAA satellites are a critical tool used in forecasting and monitoring winter hazards such as blowing snow—and with support from GLOBE volunteers, scientists are working to improve how we identify and respond to these weather conditions. Read more: nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaa-sate… @NOAAeducation

My NASA Data offers resources that engage students in science practices and build their data literacy skills using authentic NASA Earth and environmental data. Learn more in My NASA Data’s spring webinar series: forms.gle/QoGXfrPdo9xqVY…

Looking for the latest updates from the GLOBE Program? 🌎 Stay up to date on GLOBE news, events, and opportunities by signing up for the GLOBE News Brief. Don’t miss important announcements and ways to get involved!📨 Subscribe here: globe.gov/about/ready-to…

Join GLOBE Mission Earth for the March Urban Heat Island Intensive Observation Period (UHI-IOP)! Be a part of this important data collection by collecting surface temperature, air temperature, and cloud observations. Learn how you can participate here: globe.gov/news-events/gl…

Please join us in one week for the next GLOBE Observer Connect event, "Bringing Your Observations to Meteorologists,” and learn how GLOBE data benefits the meteorological community. Join us for a conversation with staff from the GLOBE Program Office, NOAA, and Synoptic Data. Learn more and register at tinyurl.com/yc6ct2df!

#ICYMI: Watch the recording of our January GLOBE Observer Connect featuring presenters from the NASA Disasters Program sharing what they learned from the NASA Response Mappers pilot project and how the project impacted disaster impact mapping. From August–October, GLOBE Observers in the southeastern U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands collected land cover data to support disaster impact mapping. The observations fed into the Disasters Response Coordination System, which provides satellite-based information to emergency managers after a disaster. The NASA Response Mappers pilot tested how well #CitizenScience observations can fill gaps in satellite data before and after a disaster strikes. Watch the recording here to learn more: youtu.be/KOACcIIP1co?si…

Thank you to everyone who submitted a project to the 2026 Virtual Science Symposium (VSS)! We’re excited to share that all submissions have been reviewed, and feedback has been sent to participants on their research projects. If you submitted a VSS project, please check for an email sent on 5 March. In addition to feedback, the message includes details about the badges your project earned. Certificates have been sent to reviewers, educators/mentors, and researchers as well. Congratulations to participants and thank you to the reviewers and educators/mentors who make this event a valuable experience for young researchers. Explore all the 2026 VSS projects here: globe.gov/news-events/me…

Join us on the 27th of March for a working Learning Session on engaging GLOBE alumni to promote, support, and sustain the GLOBE program. During this webinar, we will briefly review some of the insights and advice offered in the first two sessions of the GLOBE alumni engagement series, before joining breakout rooms to discuss participants’ experiences, plans, challenges, and questions related to engaging alumni in their communities. Register here: zoom.us/meeting/regist…

There is still time to submit your Blowing Snow observations! The deadline is extended through the end of March. The best time to observe blowing snow is when the snow stops falling and strong winds arrive—typically in the afternoon. At this time, blowing snow can be lifted tens to hundreds of meters off the ground. If you experience such conditions, help scientists locate these phenomena by taking photos of the sky and the horizon using the GLOBE Observer app’s Clouds tool. Learn more on how you can participate here: observer.globe.gov/do-globe-obser…

Please join us in one week for our latest Trees Around the GLOBE webinar, "The State of Trees - March 2026. Trees, Land Cover, Mangroves, Carbon: Featuring 2026 VSS Student Research Projects from Colombia, Italy, and Uruguay. Learn more about the webinar and the featured schools and talks at bit.ly/Trees91!

Blowing snow can drop visibility to near-zero, posing a serious hazard to both ground and air transportation. A collaboration between @NOAANESDIS and citizen scientists @GLOBEProgram is helping scientists better detect dangerous blowing snow. Learn more about the collaboration and how you can participate: bit.ly/40k9aMz

The GLOBE Secchi Disk Water Transparency protocol has been updated to improve accuracy and consistency in Secchi disk water transparency measurements! Secchi disk water transparency depth is now measured from the water surface to the depth at which the Secchi disk is no longer visible, and values must be recorded in meters (not centimeters). This update corrects an issue in the previous Secchi Disk Water Transparency GLOBE protocol, which measured the distance from the observer rather than from the water surface. That approach often led to measurement errors. Learn more about these updates here: globe.gov/news-events/gl…

Do you use paper data sheets to collect data for GLOBE? Twenty protocols now have updated data sheets. Learn more: globe.gov/news-events/gl… You can find the revised data sheets in the Data Sheets sections of the respective protocol pages.

#ICYMI, GLOBE Observers now have access to all GLOBE protocols! The December 2025 app update included a new GLOBE Data Entry button, allowing members to submit a wider range of environmental observations—from atmosphere to soil—supporting more science than ever. Learn more here: observer.globe.gov/news-events-an…