GLOBE SOIL MOISTURE INVESTIGATION
Science and Education Development and Support

10/15/97

Science PI: James Washburne

Education CoI: Cyndy Henzel

Department of Hydrology and Water Resources
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721-0011

Duration: May 1, 1998-Apr. 30, 2002

PROJECT SUMMARY

OVERVIEW AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE GLOBE SOIL MOISTURE INVESTIGATION

Soil moisture is a critical state variable of the land surface which influences plant growth, surface energy fluxes and affects the partitioning of rainfall between runoff and infiltration. Soil moisture can vary significantly at a daily scale and across tens of meters, but regional and seasonal trends are also present. Global climate and mesoscale models require initial soil moisture conditions and could assimilate soil moisture data to improve their performance. Satellite microwave sensors are capable of measuring soil moisture in the top 5 cm across typical ground footprints of 10-30 km. Thus, soil moisture was identified as a measurement of high scientific priority and needed to improve our understanding of the global environment at the 1994 Aspen Workshop that spawned GLOBE.

Dr. Eric Layman of NASA's Marshall Research Center established the original GLOBE soil moisture protocol in 1995, consisting of daily observations of column soil moisture (at 10, 30, 60 and 90 cm) using gypsum blocks calibrated in situ against gravimetric measurements at 30 cm. The original protocol was deemed advanced and relatively expensive (~$400) which precluded most early GLOBE schools from even considering it. Calibration of the gypsum blocks has proven particularly daunting because multiple (20) calibration/meter pairs of measurements must be made over one or two complete drying cycles, which might span two months of time. In fact, soil moisture conditions at most GLOBE sites during the school year (which happen to be in relative humid zones of the United States) rarely dry to the point where the gypsum blocks exhibit much sensitivity to the relatively moist soil moisture conditions. Further, gypsum blocks slowly degrade, particularly in acidic and moist soils, which necessitates annual replacement and recalibration. Never-the-less, gypsum blocks have given several schools the opportunity to monitor short-term soil moisture variations at multiple soil levels over an extended period of time and enhance our knowledge of regional and seasonal soil moisture variability.

The science/education team of Dr. Jim Washburne and Cyndy Henzel of the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources at the University of Arizona were selected by NSF in the spring of 1995 to follow this initial phase of GLOBE. Our initial emphasis was to modify the protocol for accessibility by all students, develop learning activities that supported the protocol and work collaboratively with the Soil Characterization investigation. There were two serious issues that had to be addressed. First, the soil auger is unmanageable by most younger students and fairly expensive. Second, gravimetric sampling is destructive in that repeated sampling of the same point alters soil characteristics and invalidates the measurement. Thus, three new gravimetric sampling patterns were introduced in the 1996 TeacherÆs Guide to give students and schools a range of progressively more difficult sampling options. They were the near-surface ôStarö pattern, the 50 m transect, and the depth profile ôStarö pattern, where the ôStarö pattern simply allows the school to locate and cluster their observations without resampling the same point. Students collect samples using either a soil auger or alternatively, a shovel or trowel. A monthly interval was selected to capture the basic seasonality of the variation. Near-surface observations were made in the open at 5 and 10 cm to better support potential comparisons with microwave simulations or observations. The gypsum block technique was designated an optional protocol. The learning activities "The data gameö, ôSoils in your backyardö, ôDigging aroundö, ôSoils and spongesö and ôThe great decomposerö were developed in conjunction with the Soil Characterization team. We led the initiative to gather more site metadata but the lack of effective outreach and follow-up training of GLOBE teachers has limited this effort.

The soil moisture protocols were refined further and extended for the 1997 TeacherÆs Guide. Analysis of preliminary GLOBE data indicated that soil moisture variability is greatest (and most interesting) during transitions from generally dry periods (summers) to generally wet periods (winters). The sampling frequency and duration were modified to better capture this variation by making 12 measurements at a regular interval (determined by the school) during such transitional periods. This sampling should fit better into the traditional model of thematic units of limited duration. Another limitation for many schools was the lack of adequate soil drying facilities. A microwave and low temperature drying option were developed to alleviate this problem. Soil temperature (at 5 and 10 cm) and infiltration measurements were added to complement soil moisture data. A comprehensive framework was developed to align and focus learning activities with specific protocols. In general, we believe that the science protocols are supported best when they are preceded by basic exploration and discovery activities and followed up with modeling and analysis activities with a strong emphasis on inquiry and experimental-based learning.

There are a number of educational objectives that this investigation strives to meet. These include mentoring of students by scientists, both in areas of scientific methodology and environmental awareness, modeling teaching behaviors and attitudes, and a systematic approach to learning and thinking. It takes a special and a strong commitment on our part to training, outreach and development of learning activities to meet these objectives.

Training: The initial contact scientists have with students is through the teacher training. Participation by members of the protocol teams provide the teachers with a direct introduction to who the scientists are and what they do. Direct contact also allows scientists to model lab and field techniques such as calibration and data quality checks. This is extremely important for teachers who often have little lab experience. It also allows the scientist to communicate the importance of the measurements and their excitement about the research.
Outreach: Although the initial meeting between scientists and teachers at the training provides incentive, the follow-up and outreach directly to students is equally important. Support for GLOBE chats, response to email and GLOBEmail, local workshops, site visits, franchise support and follow-up notes to teachers and their students are all important steps we believe are necessary to create an effective learning community between scientists, educators and students.
Materials Development: Finally, careful development and testing of learning activities which introduce concepts, promote careful and accurate observations, stimulate data analysis and research allow students to participate in the entire process of scientific discovery.

The next section outlines four basic components of this investigation's educational support plan. First, existing activities which have been developed for the Soil Characterization/Soil Moisture investigations need to be re- evaluated as they are implemented in schools to insure that the objectives are being met and that the activities are inquiry based. Second, new activities need to be developed to provide pre-protocol concept activities, protocol practice, modeling, and data analysis. Activities will be developed to support any new protocols proposed for Soil Moisture and to integrate with the Soil Characterization protocols. Third, the Soil Moisture team will continue and expand direct training, support and outreach to schools and franchises in the Southwest region. Finally, we will continue our support for national and international teachers and students interested in interacting with the science teams.

PROPOSED NEW TASKS

Research and Protocol-related Tasks

Compare the response and sensitivity of some common soil moisture sensors to the current gypsum block sensors.
Compare the performance and operation of tensiometers with gypsum blocks at a select few GLOBE pilot schools.
Investigate and evaluate the utility of any new simple and inexpensive soil moisture sensors against the current gypsum block sensors.
Develop an optional protocol for monitoring shallow ground water tables.
Develop an optional protocol for monitoring soil temperature at depth using temperature sensors.
Promote GLOBE student-based research participation at conferences and using electronic posters.
Promote GLOBE observations at non-school locations at ômulti- schoolö shared sites and ônon-schoolö outdoor education centers
Improve the quality and utility of GLOBE soil moisture protocol data.
Promote the incorporation of GLOBE soil moisture protocol data in on-going research investigations. Participate in and encourage GLOBE student participation in on-going regional studies of soil moisture variability.
Illustrate potential applications of GLOBE soil moisture protocol data in the refereed scientific literature through the publication of our own environmental research.
Support and Learning Activity-related Tasks
Improve existing soil moisture-related learning activities to be more inquiry-based.
Develop and pilot new learning activities with an emphasis on insuring continuity from pre-protocol discovery and exploration activities to post-protocol modeling and analysis activities.
Develop a multimedia, web-based demonstration of the soil moisture protocols.
Develop and pilot in-service and one-day workshops for GLOBE teachers seeking to refresh and update their knowledge, implementation and confidence in soil moisture protocols.
Develop non-aligned GLOBE site tours and supporting material.
Support teacher training with scientist-level participation in at least three training workshops/year.
Support regional franchises, particularly the Biosphere 2 Center, to promote, train and support GLOBE teachers throughout the Western and Southwestern U.S.
Support and mentor GLOBE teachers and students through email and web chat communication.
Support GLOBE soil moisture protocol and learning activity use and consistency by maintaining a GLOBE soil moisture web site, a GLOBE soil moisture protocol listserve and an electronic reference room where teachers can find related information.
Develop strategies and supporting materials for implementing GLOBE soil moisture protocols and learning activities into school curricula, particularly at the high school level.
Promote GLOBE in currently underrepresented rural areas through collaborations with existing Vocational/Agricultural outreach programs such as Future Farmers of America and 4H.
National and International support and training.

RESULTS FROM PRIOR NSF SUPPORT

NSF award number: GEO-9509703

Original Title: The importance of soil moisture to global climate change

Summary of Results:

Our most important results from prior NSF support are related to educational materials development, training support and teacher support. The scientific component of GLOBE might seem shorted by this ranking, but in reality, we have built a solid foundation upon which all subsequent GLOBE soil moisture data will be collected. Further, our focus has been constrained and dictated by the needs of the GLOBE Program. As the foregoing protocol overview pointed out, we began with a protocol with limited appeal and have fashioned one that is much more easily implemented. Despite the lack of soils education within traditional K-12 curricula, we feel that the current soil characterization and soil moisture investigations are attractive enough to be fit into a range of earth science, biology, agricultural science and geology classes.

Publications: Washburne, J.C., 1998, Preliminary analysis of GLOBE soil moisture data, Proc. Amer. Meteor. Soc., Special Session on Hydrology, 5 p.

Data Products:

Over 200 schools in a dozen countries have contributed to the 23,000 soil moisture observations in the GLOBE student data archive. In the U.S., several schools have made over 2000 observations and there has been widespread participation from 20 different states. As with all GLOBE data, these observations are available to the public through the GLOBE web site.

Relationship of the proposed work to the completed work:

This proposal seeks to continue the same high level of innovation, support and development experienced during the initial phase of this funding. Both the soil moisture protocol and learning activities components will be supported. We worked hard during the initial phase to realign the observational protocols and learning activities with the needs of the program and feel satisfied having achieved that goal. The proposed work will further refine both these components with few major changes expected. Rather we will shift our emphasis from materials development to materials support and scientific analysis of the data collected so far.

Student and Professional Participation:

Under Graduates: Sheldon Motley, Dan Posehn, James Blackwood, Brad Chaney
Graduates: Michelle Michner, Stacy Liebowitz, Pat Henne, Sara Chavarria, Cyndy Henzel
Professionals: Ms. Carol Bylsma Teachers: Ms. Mary Bouley

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS

Materials Development

Protocols: Gravimetric, Infiltration, Temperature

Learning Activities: Data Game, Soils as Sponges, Just Passing Through, Mud Pies to Bricks, Digging Around, Soil in My Backyard

Boston/TERC meeting, Jan. 1996

GLOBE 1996 Teachers Guide

Arlington/NSF meeting, Jan. 1997

GLOBE 1997 Teachers Guide and Supplement Training

Teacher Training, Univ. of Arizona, Feb. 1996

Train-the-Trainer, Williamsburg, Jul. 1996

Train-the-Trainer, Hanover, Jun. 1997

Over 12 regular Teacher Training Workshops in Hartford, Boulder, Logan, Davis, Dallas, West Chester, Lewisville, Charleston, Orlando (our participation in many of these workshops was made possible through financial support from the regular GLOBE training budget at UCAR) Franchise Support

Biosphere 2 Center - UA/GLOBE partnership, since Jul. 1995

Train-the-Franchise Workshop, Biosphere 2 Center, Dec. 1996

Teacher Training, Biosphere 2 Center, Apr. 1996

Teacher Training, UNLV, Aug. 1997

Teacher Training, Biosphere 2 Center, Nov. 1997 International Support

Trainer Workshop, Buenos Aires, Mar. 1997

Train-the-Trainer Workshop, Mexico City, Sep.1997

Train-the-Trainer Workshop, Mexico City, Dec.1997

Trainer Workshop, Biosphere 2 Center, Mar. 1998 Teacher Support

Tucson Area Workshop, Sep. 1997

Phoenix Area Workshop, Sep. 1997

Sabino Canyon - Catalina Foothills Field Support, Mar. 1997

Sweetwater Wetlands - Amphi Field Support, Mar. 1997

Whiteriver Back-to-School Workshop, Aug. 1997

Southwest Area Newsletter, Sep. 1997

Arizona GLOBE teacher listserve, Sep. 1997 Student Support

GLOBE Web chats (12/96, 1/97, 4/97)

Numerous school visits locally

Email, phone and letter support Program Planning

Baltimore, Organizational Meeting, Jun. 1995

St. Michales/Chesapeake, Sep. 1995

Warrenton, Airlie Conference, Jun. 1996

Tucson, Site Visit, Feb. 1997

Warrenton, Airlie Conference, Jun. 1997 Science Support

Global Soil Wetness Workshop, GSFC, Jul. 1995

Semi-Arid Land-Surface-Atmosphere Planning Meeting, Tucson, Aug. 1995

Global Soil Wetness Workshop, LB, CA, Feb. 1997

American Meteorological Society, Poster and Talk, Jan. 1998 Promotional Support

AZ Asso. For Learning about the Enviro., Sep. 1995

AZ Science Teachers Asso., Oct. 1995

American Geophysical Union Poster, Dec. 1995

ASSET/Nat. Teacher Training Inst., Keynote speaker, Feb. 1996

UA Teaching and Technology Fair, Feb. 1996

AZ Science and Mathematics Conf., Feb. 1996

AZ-NV Science Conf., Apr. 1996

Intl. Science and Engineering Fair, May 1996

Western Regional Science Teachers Asso., Oct. 1996

Future Farmers of America Nat. Conv., Nov. 1996

AZ Teaching and Technology Fair, Feb. 1997

AZ Asso. For Learning about the Enviro., 10/97

UA Teaching and Technology Fair, Feb. 1998

AZ Science and Mathematics Conf., Feb. 1998

DESCRIPTION OF TASKS

1) Compare the response and sensitivity of the most common soil moisture sensors to the current gypsum block sensors. To promote students understanding of typical and expected response characteristics of gypsum block sensors and to help other scientists put their observations in perspective we propose to collaborate with Dr. Marek Zreda and Dr. Grazyna Zreda at the University of Arizona, Department of Hydrology and Water Resources to study the performance of a wide range of soil moisture sensors side-by-side. Dr. Zreda recently won an NSF laboratory equipment award to instrument a laboratory and field site devoted to giving graduate and undergraduate students hands- on experience with a variety of unsaturated and saturated measurement techniques. This is a great opportunity for including gypsum blocks (and any other sensors we deem appropriate) in a long-term comparative exercise and a great way to compound NSF's investment. We expect to have comparative laboratory measurements to report by the fall of 1998 and will develop suitable web-based reports to share them with GLOBE students. Some of the controlled experiments we hope to run will help to better evaluate the sensor's sensitivity to hysterisis, salinity and soil texture.

2) Compare the performance and operation of tensiometers with gypsum blocks at a select few GLOBE pilot schools. Tensiometers are water filled tubes with a ceramic tip at the bottom that are used to monitor the suction potential of the soil, which is directly related to soil moisture content. These are relatively simple and relatively inexpensive ($25) devices but suffer from the following liabilities. Pressure or suction must be measured, which requires a sensitive pressure transducer and output device. All joints must be pressure tight and remain so to give consistent results. Natural fluid loss from the ceramic tip during dry conditions must be replaced quantitatively. Degassed water (boiled) is recommended as replacement fluid. Apart from a slightly more fragile vandalism profile, the long-term maintenance aspect of tensiometers is the most problematic. The fact that they are better suited for wetter regimes, and so complement the gypsum block, make them attractive for the globally distributed GLOBE network. We will explore these issues in greater depth at three or four select schools over the coming year with preliminary results expected by the fall of 1998.

3) Investigate and evaluate the utility of any new simple and inexpensive soil moisture sensors against the current gypsum block sensors. Most soil moisture sensing technology is inappropriate for GLOBE schools for any number of reasons related to cost, complexity and safety. These technologies include time- domain reflectometry (TDR), frequency-domain reflectometry (FDR), thermal dissipation and neutron scattering. There seems to be considerable innovation in this area now so it may be just a matter of time before something better comes along. We will monitor the literature for new technologies compatible with GLOBE needs.

4) Develop an optional protocol for monitoring shallow ground water tables. Several GLOBE schools have shallow ground water tables. Soil moisture in the vicinity of a shallow fluctuating water table will be significantly impacted. Rather than dropping these sites we can easily measure water table using a home-made, battery-operated conductivity meter that has worked extremely well for a recent field experiment which relied on trained volunteers for this and many other observations (McNish, pers. comm; Goff and Goodrich, 1998).

5) Develop an optional protocol for monitoring soil temperature at depth using temperature sensors. A home-made, integrated circuit-based (LM35C) temperature sensor is ready for pilot testing to extend the initial phase of shallow soil temperature measurements to a depth profile similar to what is done in the gypsum block protocol. Four sensors should cost a school with some electronics shop capability about $25. This sensor converts Celsius temperature directly to a millivolt output with a 1:1 conversion ration so the temperature reading can be direct from a digital volt meter (~$59). The two liabilities of this design are the lack of appropriate off-the- shelf assemblies and a 5-15 V bias voltage required to power the integrated circuit. This protocol should be ready for piloting this spring.

6) Promote GLOBE student-based research participation at conferences and using electronic posters. GLOBE schools and students are finally ready to make significant and wide-spread comparisons with other GLOBE observations around the world. While the opportunities for independently initiated research and comparisons are many, we expect to promote several such opportunities directly. Local schools will be invited to submit research posters to El Dia del Agua, an annual symposium of graduate student research in the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources every May. Three finalists will be invited to present their posters in a setting akin to a professional meeting. Other students will be encouraged to attend on a space- available basis. Another regular opportunity for students and schools to present their GLOBE research is at the Southeastern Arizona Science and Engineering Fair held in June. We are encouraging GLOBE submissions to this traditional "science fair" competition and will be available to help judge entries in the environmental science category. Finally, we recommended and have helped formulate guidelines for "electronic poster" submissions to the First International GLOBE Student Conference scheduled for Helsinki, Finland in July.

7) Promote GLOBE observations at non-school locations, at ômulti-schoolö shared sites and ônon-schoolö outdoor education centers. An important goal for any scientific field effort is to collect the best data at as many widespread and evenly distributed sites as is practical. Data quality will be addressed below; achieving wider and better distributed data is the concern of this paragraph. This topic is of particular concern to the soil moisture protocol because of how the data will be used to validate land-surface models that are largely influenced by non- urban land-covers. Frequent GLOBE observations must be made on school grounds, which often limits how representative the site is of the local "natural" environment. Less frequent measurements can be done off school property but many teachers have difficulty taking more than a few field trips per year. An improved distribution of data is possible if schools band together to share the responsibility of making observations at a "remote" site. Multiple sites are already advocated for soil characterization and qualitative land cover - this proposal just extends this idea for seasonal measurements of soil moisture and water quality. Equally important are measurements at even more remote sites with nature centers where visiting school tours are introduced to the GLOBE program. In this case, observations will be made by different students each time with the help of a local guide. We expect to pilot several sites in each of these categories in the Tucson area over the next few years. These include: Biosphere 2 Center, the Phoenix Zoo (see

15), Sweetwater Wetlands and Recharge Basin, and Agua Caliente.

8) Improve the quality and utility of GLOBE soil moisture protocol data. A primary and paramount concern of the science community is data quality. A greater effort needs to be made to catch questionable data reports on a monthly basis and to initiate a dialogue with the reporting school to resolve the issue. This was difficult initially with no baseline data but should be doable with the help a student research assistant. How to make the data more usable for the scientific community will be discussed with potential users at professional meetings during the spring of 1998.

9) Promote the incorporation of GLOBE soil moisture protocol data in on-going research investigations. Participate in and encourage GLOBE student participation in on-going regional studies of soil moisture variability. GLOBE soil moisture data must be promoted with various meteorologic and climate modeling groups as a preliminary model validation resource. Several groups (SALSA, GCIP, ARM) are also engaged in regional modeling and data acquisition projects where GLOBE validation data could supplement and extend existing data. I have made preliminary inquires to facilitate collaboration with these groups. Although these initiatives are often of regional extent, they represent an excellent opportunity for some GLOBE students to directly experience and contribute to the scientific process and allow GLOBE data to be scrutinized alongside the scientists own validation data.

10) Illustrate potential applications of GLOBE soil moisture protocol data in the refereed scientific literature through the publication of our own environmental research. We will continue to integrate GLOBE soil moisture data with our research in improving land-surface modeling schemes and validating surface flux results over regional field sites with a high density of ground stations. My experience in these areas are summarized in papers by Rahman, et al. (1997) and Yucel, et al. (1997) and in a presentation at a recent AMS meeting (Washburne, et al., 1996). A comprehensive summary of GLOBE soil moisture observations and the proposed scheme for comparing them with ECMWF reanalysis data was first detailed at the Second Annual GLOBE International Science (Airlie) Conference (Washburne, 1997) and will be detailed further at an upcoming AMS meeting (Washburne, 1998).

11) Improve existing soil moisture-related learning activities to be more inquiry-based. All existing learning activities will be evaluated to see if they can be made more inquiry-based. In addition, the scope of the existing activities will be evaluated to see if all concepts important to an understanding of the soil moisture protocols and skills necessary to take the protocols accurately are included at appropriate age levels. Units selected for improvement are Soils and Sponges, Digging Around.

12) Develop and pilot new learning activities with an emphasis on insuring continuity from pre-protocol discovery and exploration activities to post-protocol modeling and analysis activities. A number of new learning activities are needed to support new protocols, which were implemented in the last edition of the GLOBE manual and the optional protocols proposed above. Additional learning activities at the K-3 level and at the high school level will be developed. A synopsis of new learning activities that have been begun follows: Discovery Activities: A K-3 web-based coloring book will be developed in collaboration with the Soil Characterization team with coloring pages, soil mazes, and other activities which illustrate basic concepts of soil characterization, soil moisture and soil temperature. In addition, a K-3 activity will be designed which explores life underground as related to temperature emphasizing how animals keep cool in summer and stay warm in winter by living underground. Soil in my Backyard will be modified to include problems and questions related to the distribution of temperature around a typical yard. Physical Modeling Activities: A three-gallon tub full of sand, mulch or water can be placed around the school room where different microclimates affect the heating and cooling rates to support Soil Temperature. This activity will help students explore soil temperatures at different depths and under varying soil moisture and environmental conditions. In There is Always Space, students model soil porosity using large particles such as gravel or marbles. The activity introduces students to the water holding capacity of soils as related to the particle size and bulk density. This activity was conceived for the 1997 GLOBE Teacher's Guide, but requires some revision and further testing. Mathematical Modeling and Analysis: An important component of GLOBE is to stress relationships between different Earth systems. The relationship between precipitation and soil moisture is investigated in the Antecedent Precipitation Index, where students test an indirect mathematical model of soil drying using GLOBE data. The relationships between temperatures of soil, water, and air as related to latitude, season, and other variables will be explored in The Energy Exchange using both GLOBE data and visualizations. A simple one-dimensional model of soil temperature, consisting of a damped exponential function, will be used by students to investigate Soil Temperature variation and response to latitudinally-controlled (solar) forcings. Both soil moisture and soil characterization investigations propose to develop models that illustrate the central role soils play in the environment. Students will use GLOBE data to recreate soil columns from various biomes, then test their columns for soil water content, infiltration, and field capacity.

13) Develop a multimedia, web-based demonstration of the soil moisture protocols. We propose to develop a multimedia, web- based tutorial related to the soil moisture investigation to supplement teaching materials in the GLOBE Teachers Guide. The tutorial will be in the form of short, narrated video or still pictures illustrating the basic steps and procedures outlined in the protocols and learning activities. These materials will provide a much needed supplement to the one-time exposure teachers receive in training and provide a convenient way teachers can refresh or extend their knowledge. They will also give both teachers and students greater confidence and lead to greater consistency in the implementation of GLOBE protocols.

14) Develop and pilot in-service and one-day workshops for GLOBE teachers seeking to refresh and update their knowledge, implementation and confidence in soil moisture protocols. Teacher training workshops provide an overview of all of the GLOBE protocols and learning activities. Few teachers, however, rate themselves as confident to implement all of the protocols after four days of training. We propose to provide four workshops each year which emphasize areas of the GLOBE measurements or learning activities which are of special interest or concern to the teachers or scientists. Providing one day workshops will increase the confidence of the teachers in their ability to do the protocols, bring awareness to areas which are not being implemented, strengthen the GLOBE community by providing: interaction between the teacher, interactions between teachers and scientists and an opportunity to introduce new GLOBE material. The first four workshops will include Implementing Soil/Soil Moisture Measurements, Practice and Use of Multispec and GLOBE database, Using the Learning Activities to Make the Protocols Work in Your Class, and New Materials and Ideas for GLOBE. The first three topics were chosen because they tend to be areas which teachers report are of concern when filling out traditional workshop evaluations. The final workshop will enable the Soil Moisture team to introduce newly developed materials or to address other issues of concern.

15) Develop non-aligned GLOBE site tours and supporting material. A particularly exciting concept we expect to start piloting has to do with developing public GLOBE sites in conjunction with environmental education centers, such as found at state parks, museums, zoological and botanical gardens. Such a site would not be aligned with any particular school but be open to GLOBE schools and non-schools alike. The benefits of these sites are access to large student/teacher populations, collaborative studies, well-maintained facilities and diverse (often unique) environments. Over the next several years, we expect to develop two such sites: one at Biosphere 2 Center and one at the Phoenix Zoo. Trained guides at both locations will introduce students to basic GLOBE concepts and data analysis, with follow-up material to extend the learning beyond the observation site. There are several challenging aspects to this concept, such as data quality, guide education, data entry and follow-up. Never-the-less, this represents a great opportunity for all involved.

16) Support teacher training with scientist-level participation in at least three trainings per year. Our continued participation in the regular teacher training program is useful to both the teachers (who can start to develop a working relationship with the science team) and ourselves (who promote the proper methods and analysis of the protocols and stay in touch with the typical issues teachers confront when implementing or trying to understand this material). Distance learning/teaching methodologies discussed elsewhere will help establish these fundamental ties to teachers at workshops we are not able to participate in.

17) Support regional franchises, particularly the Biosphere 2 Center, to promote, train and support GLOBE teachers throughout the Western, Southwestern U.S and Mexico. Columbia University through the Biosphere 2 Center north of Tucson has made a commitment to support the GLOBE program through providing teacher training workshops and outreach. This effort has been supported by the Soil Moisture team in providing personnel and informational resources for their first training in April of 1996. We propose to continue supporting the franchise in an advisory role, as well as any other assistance we may give such as promoting workshops and providing input into on-site educational activities. In addition to the Biosphere 2 Franchise, the Soil Moisture team has assisted the University of Nevada at Las Vegas Franchise in conducting their first training. We also will continue to support this franchise as well as any new regional franchises, as needed. In particular, many of our schools have a large bilingual population and our team is very interested in building links and supporting Spanish-speaking teachers South of the border, particularly in Mexico.

18) Support and mentor GLOBE teachers and students through email and web chat communication. Chats have proven a great opportunity and mechanism for students to focus on one of the investigations, the issues surrounding the observations and to ask questions of an expert in that area. We look forward to a continued, regular schedule of student chats.

19) Support GLOBE soil moisture protocol and learning activity use and consistency by maintaining a GLOBE soil moisture web site, a GLOBE soil moisture protocol listserve and an electronic reference room where teachers can find related information. The GLOBE soil moisture web site is the most extensive non-GLOBE supported site. The URL is: http://www hwr.arizona.edu/globe/globe_home.html There are sections devoted to: 1. Science (motivation, applications and research), 2. Training (workshop training, local events, franchise developments, frequently asked questions, and experimental activities), 3. Pilot testing (descriptive, procedural and assessment material), 4. Teacher support (local events and funding with links to other educational resource sites), 5. Teachers guide (on-line access to the printed documents, both past and present), 6. Project Management (background documents and team coordination), 7. And GLOBE and other significant hypertext links.

20) Develop strategies and supporting materials for implementing GLOBE soil moisture protocols and learning activities into school curricula, particularly at the high school level. GLOBE must rise to the challenge of better explaining how and why this program fits into typical curricula situations. We are interested in pursuing this, in part, by collating implementation strategies from existing GLOBE schools and illustrating how GLOBE is useful to meet various local and national science and mathematics standards.

21) Promote GLOBE in currently underrepresented rural areas through collaborations with existing Vocational/Agricultural outreach programs such as Future Farmers of America and 4H. These two groups and the communities they reflect represent a significant new source of GLOBE teachers with a pre-existing interest in the observations and educational opportunities related to the environment. We expect to address this opportunity at a local scale first, through existing ties to the state-wide FFA infrastructure and the UA Agricultural Education program. Some of the challenges that exist in this area are to overcome the lack of widespread internet connectivity in rural areas and to help implement GLOBE investigations into pre-existing curricula.

22) National and International Support and Training. Support through attendance or other participation will be given to any national meetings or international workshops or activities of GLOBE such as Train the Trainers, the International Conference, TeacherÆs Conference, GLOBE chats etc. In addition, the program will be promoted at professional meetings and workshops such as the Arizona Science TeacherÆs Association and other local and regional opportunities where science and technology are featured.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Dr. Jim Washburne is the science PI and project director (PD) for this investigation. He will oversee protocol-related development, research, data utilization and support, as well as define the long-term strategy and collaborations of this group. Cyndy Henzel is the education co-investigator, responsible for development, editing, testing and support of learning activities. She will help coordinate and supervise the investigation along with the PD. Dr. Jack Elliot will concentrate on pre-service and in- service GLOBE instruction and program development in the area of pre-college agricultural studies. Mary Bouley is responsible for developing a web-based multimedia presentation of protocols and learning activities for this investigation, as well as to help support elementary school teachers. Garzyna Zreda will help coordinate and analyze soil moisture sensor data collected in conjunction with the UA HWR Laboratory for Subsurface Hydrologic Measurements.

REFERENCES CITED

Goff and Goodrich, 1998, Think globally, act locally: Community participation in SALSA Global Change research, Proc. Am. Meteor. Soc., 14th Conf. On Hydrology, 6 p.

Rahman, A.F., Washburne, J.C., Moran, M.S. and Batchily, K., 1997, Regional-scale surface flux estimation by combined use of remote sensing and meteorologic data, In Press: Rem. Sensing of the Environ..,

Washburne, J.C., 1997, Preliminary analysis of GLOBE soil moisture data, Second Annual GLOBE Conf., Airlie, VA, http://www hwr.arizona.edu/globe/sci/airlie97.html

Washburne, J.C., 1998, Preliminary analysis of GLOBE soil moisture data, Proc. Am. Meteor. Soc., 14th Conf. On Hydrology, 5 p.

Washburne, J., Yucel, I., and Shuttleworth, J. 1997, Model and observed surface water budgets over selected sites in North America, Proc. Am. Meteor. Soc., 13th Conf. On Hydrology, p. 198-199.

Yucel, I., Shuttleworth, J., Washburne, J. and Chen, F., 1998, Evaluating NCEP Eta model derived data against observations, Revised: Mon. Weather Review, 31 p.

FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT AND OTHER RESOURCES

Office: This investigation has a two-person office (Harshbarger 238) dedicated to its use with both phone and computer connections and service. This office is conveniently located in the Hydrology Department, with excellent opportunities to interact with other faculty and students.

Computer: The University of Arizona maintains T1 internet connections and and optical fiber campus network, which is required for this effort. The Department of Hydrology maintains the internet server (www hwr.arizona.edu) used to post soil moisture related web documents.

Laboratory: A new teaching/research laboratory for saturated and unsaturated studies is being developed by Dr. Marek Zreda. We expect to have some access to this facility to develop characteristic response profiles for several soil moisture sensors.

Major Equipment: This investigation has primary access to 1 Solaris/SPARCstation 4, 1 DOS/Windows Desktop computer and 1 DOS/Windows laptop computer. We have multiple sets of training and testing equipment used for this investigation.

Other Resources/Collaborations:

Biosphere 2 Center: This environmental education center has approximately 200,000 visitors annually. The site has several dedicated educational staff members who have helped with GLOBE trainings in the past. Sufficient equipment, computer and space is available to train 24 teachers.

Phoenix Zoo: This is the largest zoo in the state with established tours and facilities for the approximately 100,000 students who visit annually. There is a dedicated, full-time educational staff plus a large and well-developed docent program.

GLOBE SOIL MOISTURE INVESTIGATION Science and Education Development and Support

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