(NORFORK, Arkansas) Our first major GLOBE milestone was reached today. Students from the elementary school reported the 1000th measurement since they started participating in the GLOBE Program. Today's Student Weather Recorders were Kim Thompson and JoAnn Shaw, who jointly entered the measurements into the GLOBE database just after noon, before they went to their scheduled library activity period.

Some of Mr. Geery's fifth grade science class students celebrate their efforts as participants in the GLOBE (Global Learning by Observations to Benefit the Environment) Program.

History

Our school's first measurements were taken on 17 August 1999, following installation of the weather station and precipitation gauge. At this same time, a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receiver was used to record the latitude and longitude of each potential study site. The following week the first surface water measurements were made at Jordan Marina on Lake Norfork. During the next month additional surface water sites were initiated at the mouth of the North Fork of the White River and at the Norfork Village Ferry Landing on the White River. Simultaneously, students collected a core sample of the soil at the weather station and performed a classification and particle distribution analysis of each horizon in the profile. Additionally, a river bottom land soil sample was taken from a field near the river and analyzed in the same fashion. Finally, during the month of October, weekly soil temperature measurements at two depths were started at the weather station site.

The actual tabulation of measurement totals can be accessed here for your information.

Celebration Activities

Activities that were observed on this special date varied by class. The sixth grade students who do the water chemistry measurements were miffed that their observations made the previous day were not enough to take the school over the top. Actually, between their data and the normal atmospheric data for the date, the total stood at 995 measurements, just shy of the magic number. Other fifth grade students were envious of the row of balloons that decorated the corner of the room during their class, but understood that their fellow classmates deserved the honor due to their daily record keeping activities. Finally the school day ended and all the balloons along with their new owners strode out to the waiting busses for their ride home. Only one balloon was seen to escape this day, and that one was accidentally released by Mr. Geery who was on his way back to the elementary school after filling them with helium.

Below are the students finishing their historic data entry of the day's temperatures which they had measured. Pictured are (l to r) Kendra Rand, Kim Thompson, and JoAnn Shaw; all students in Mr. Geery's Fifth Grade Science Class at Norfork Elementary School.

Future Events

Students will learn to make biological observations from the adjacent land areas surrounding the school next year. They will measure ground cover, canopy coverage, biometric measurements of tree diameter, tree height, species identification and many other biological or botanical data. Furthermore, the data collected by our students will be used in high school geography and environmental studies classes. Anyone can access this data by simply accessing the GLOBE data archives at the GLOBE Web Site. As you can see, our learning journey has just begun.....