Tracking the "Vernal Window" with bundled Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) protocols

In seasonally snow-covered ecosystems, the time between snowmelt and forest canopy closure, which marks the end of winter and start of the growing season, is known as the vernal window. Climate change is expected to lengthen the vernal window, impacting forest ecosystem functions such as nutrient and water cycling. Additional research is needed to understand how changes in the timing of snow, soil frost, soil biological activity, and canopy leaf-out, will affect the vernal window, with potential consequences for forest management and long-term forest health. Classrooms are an ideal venue for this research because the vernal window coincides with school semesters and engages students in outdoor scientific inquiry. The goal of our project is to enhance collective understanding of the vernal window through use of bundled Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) protocols. We recruited and trained five New England high school classrooms and provided them each with a low-cost instrumentation suite to track changes in (1) snow depth, (2) soil frost depth, (3) soil biological activity, and (4) forest canopy green-up. Data collected in winter 2018/2019 will be synthesized in an open-source framework that will allow classrooms to track changes in the vernal window using lesson plans that meet Next Generation Science Standards. Standardized protocols and data collected with low-cost instruments will be shared with forest managers and teachers. Participating teachers in the "Vernal Window" project gain a greater understanding of climate change impacts in their own backyards and experience in collecting and analyzing field data from outdoor classrooms using established GLOBE protocols.