GLOBE Web Chat

Pictured on the left, are some of the GLOBE students that participated in the Phenology Web Chat. Sharrel, Larell, Armani and Albert.

On March 5, 1999 at 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Randolph GLOBE students took the first step toward an exciting opportunity to help scientists who are desperately seeking data for long-term climate changes.

Have you ever looked around you and noticed how your backyard, street and community change as the seasons change? For instance in spring, daylight lasts longer, flowers bloom, leaves appear on trees, and birds migrate. In autumn, leaves turn color and fall, annual plants die, and many animals either hibernate or migrate. Phenology is the study of how climate affects the growth and development of plants and animals.

Mr. Lopatka and the GLOBE students joined Dr. David Verbyla from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Dr. Steve Running and Mr. Mike White from the University of Montana on March 5 for a discussion on phenology. Dr. Running and Mr. White developed the Budburst Protocol, a GLOBE Special Measurement. If you haven't already, you may want to familiarize yourself with the protocol. Visit the Special Measurement's section of the GLOBE Resource Room. Dr. Verbyla joined the GLOBE science team last year and is developing new measurements for GLOBE students to measure plant phenology.

The following is a transcript summary of the Web Chat that Randolph students took part in. You can get the complete transcript at the GLOBE web site.

[ Rebecca/GLOBE - 0 - 07:57:30 ](It is 7:57 A.M. in Alaska)

Hello GLOBE Chatters! My name is Rebecca and I will be moderating the web chat on phenology

today. We are very happy to have with us Dr. Dave Verbyla from the University of Alaska

Fairbanks. He is an expert on phenology and is developing GLOBE protocols that will measure the

length of seasons. He is here to answer questions about budburst and anything else related to phenology.

Hi Greg, Could you wait a moment? Dave should be here shortly. Where is Randolph School located?

[ Rebecca/GLOBE - 11 - 08:08:18 ]

Hello, This is Dave Verbyla...the sun is just coming up in Alaska. I'll try to answer your questions as quickly as possible...

[ DaveVerbyla/FairbanksAlaska - 10 - 08:07:55 ]

[ Greg Lopatka/Randolph school/US - 9 - 08:07:31 ]

Randolph school is in Chicago IL

RE: [Greg Lopatka/Randolph school/US] Greg from Randolph Do you have Cotton woods in Alaska, if so when to they Budurst?

We have a cottonwood called Balsam Poplar along the flood plains in Alaska. It usually bursts bud in early to mid May about two weeks after the snow has melted.

[ DaveVerbyla/FairbanksAlaska - 13 - 08:08:57 ]

RE: [Greg Lopatka/Randolph School/US] Walter from Randolph Room 202. Does the snow ever melt in Alaska?

In some places there are permanent glaciers...in the mountains. They are nice to visit when it is hot in the summer. My dogs like to lay down on the glaciers to cool off when I take them hiking.

[ DaveVerbyla/FairbanksAlaska - 14 - 08:09:45 ]

RE: [USGACTEI/AllgoodElementary/US] Hi. We're Charlie and Jessica. Which trees are best at Bursting in Georgia?

Whatever are the dominant broadleaf trees in your area...that may be sweet gum or red maple or oaks or some other tree species. We are trying to validate what the satellites see so that is why we are interested in the dominant plants of your area..

[ DaveVerbyla/FairbanksAlaska - 23 - 08:12:50 ]

RE: [Randolphschool/US] Arrick from Randolph school in Chicago IL. Room 202. What do you like about Alaska? What is the earliest blooming plant in Alaska?

There are scientists who have looked at the entire globe and they found that the plant growing season seems to have increased for the northern third of the globe. But we need GLOBE school observations to help validate this.

[ DaveVerbyla/FairbanksAlaska - 29 - 08:15:32 ]

RE: [TineraBauer/CrescentElk/US] How many area's monitor the phenology vegetation?

I like the wilderness of Alaska. The state is huge and varies from coastal rain forest in the southeast to tundra in the north. The earliest budburst would be in the southeast (maybe late April) and the latest in the north (maybe as late as June)

[ DaveVerbyla/FairbanksAlaska - 14 - 08:09:45 ]

RE: Randolph School/US] Armani from Randolph, How old were you when you started thinking about being a scientist.

I probably started dreaming about being a scientist when I was in 7th grade...

[ DaveVerbyla/FairbanksAlaska - 35 - 08:17:48 ]

RE: [GregLopatka/Randolphschool/US] Ashley from Randolph Chicago IL. What is the tallest tree in Alaska?

The tallest tree in Alaska grows in the coastal rain forest. They get lots of rain there so trees grow very tall. Sitka Spruce can get as tall as 200-250 feet or about 80 meters high.

DaveVerbyla/FairbanksAlaska - 77 - 08:30:14 ]

RE: [/Randolph school/US] Emery from Randolph Chicago IL. We are going to be watching Cotton woods. When do we say it has burst? When the cotton starts flying?

That depends on when it gets warm enough for the cottonwoods to sense that its

time to burst bud. They are adapted to burst bud when they can start making

food and growing but not too early so the new leaves do not freeze. The cotton

is from the flowers of the cottonwoods which I think come out just before leaf

bud burst starts.

[ GregLopatka/Randolphschool/US - 156 - 08:56:55 ]

Greg Lopatka, Chicago. I have to go and Sub now, Thanks for the Information.

We will be Sending you some Data soon.

You can read the entire chat at the following GLOBE site: http://www.globe.gov/fsl/html/templ.cgi?archive_bb03051999&lang=en&nav=1

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