Want to get involved in scientific processes? With citizen science projects, you and your students can collect and interpret data that will be used to help better understand our Earth and Earth systems. With your computer or mobile device, low cost materials, or sometimes things you already have at home, you can participate in many different kinds of projects.
Walking down a bike path in Boulder, Colorado, three citizen scientists collect data on the Earth's magnetic field using the CrowdMag cellphone app. (Image credit: Jennifer Taylor/CIRES)
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You can find more citizen science for educators and much more in our Sea to Sky database. You can bookmark this link, which will take you directly to the Sea to Sky database with citizen science projects pre-selected. You can further refine by subject, topic, or other filters as needed.
Explore citizen science projects from NOAA, our partners, and our grantees. You can find even more federal projects at citizenscience.gov.
Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) offsite link
CoCoRaHS (pronounced KO-ko-rozz) is a grassroots volunteer network of backyard weather observers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail, and snow) in their local communities. By using low-cost measurement tools, stressing training and education, and utilizing an interactive website, CoCoRaHS aims to provide the highest quality data for natural resource, education, and research applications. The only requirements to join are an enthusiasm for watching and reporting weather conditions and a desire to learn more about how weather can affect and impact our lives.
Count Herring offsite link
Help track changes in river herring populations over time by counting the number of fish passing through the fish ladder at Jenny Grist Mill dam located on Town Brook in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Video recordings from the dam allow people anywhere, at any time, to participate in this project. With these video counts, are used to estimate in real-time the total number of herring that have migrated so far this year. Every video count matters, and helps to get one step closer to an accurate estimate of the total herring run. Let's start counting!
CrowdMag
When you go outside and are moving around, use CrowdMag to measure the magnetic data along your path. Save, list, export or delete data to create a complete magnetic field map of your area. Share your data with a research group at NOAA. Multiple recordings along the same path are very helpful to reduce the noise and produce a more accurate magnetic field map.
Get started with our tiny tutorial!
The GLOBE Program
The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is an international science and education program that provides students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process, and contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment. GLOBE provides grade level-appropriate, interdisciplinary activities and investigations about the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and soil/pedosphere, which have been developed by the scientific community and validated by teachers. GLOBE connects students, teachers, scientists, and citizens from different parts of the world to conduct real, hands-on science about their local environment and to put this in a global perspective.
GPS on Bench Marks
Help improve the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) by participating in GPS on Bench Marks (GPS on BM). GPS on BM has three important steps: recover, observe, and report. Recover: Using web maps or other desktop tools to look up the description of an existing bench mark and visit the bench mark of your choice and submit a mark recovery. Observe: Record field notes, take digital photos, and collect GPS observations for the bench mark you visit. Report: Use online tools to send the information to the National Geodetic Survey.
mPING
The NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory collects public weather reports through a free app available for mobile devices. Reporters select the type of weather that is occurring, and tap “submit.” mPING reports are immediately archived into a database at The University of Oklahoma, and are displayed on a map accessible to anyone. Weather radars cannot “see” at the ground, so mPING (Meteorological Phenomena Identification Near the Ground) reports are used by the National Weather Service to fine-tune their forecasts. NSSL uses the data in a variety of ways, including to develop new radar and forecasting technologies and techniques.
Old Weather offsite link
Old Weather volunteers explore, mark, and transcribe historic ship's logs from the 19th and early 20th centuries. We need your help because this task is impossible for computers, due to diverse and idiosyncratic handwriting that only human beings can read and understand effectively. By participating in Old Weather you'll be helping advance research in multiple fields. Data about past weather and sea-ice conditions are vital for climate scientists, while historians value knowing about the course of a voyage and the events that transpired. Since many of these logs haven't been examined since they were originally filled in by a mariner long ago you might even discover something surprising.
Whale Alert offsite link
Busy shipping lanes that coincide with whale feeding areas, breeding regions, and migratory routes present an immense ship strike threat to whales. With the free Whale Alert app, mariners and members of the public are provided with a user-friendly tool directly on their mobile device that displays whale "safety zones." The app also allows the user to report any live, dead, or distressed whale sightings to the appropriate response agency; thus making this app an important tool for reducing ship strike threat to all whale species.