MY NASA DATA Science Project Ideas

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Science Project: Measuring Local Precipitation	Image courtesy Dan L. Lyons
Web Id: P7
Purpose: To record local measurements of precipitation, including rain, hail and snow for use in a variety of weather and research purposes.
Age Range: 8-99
Time Required: Each measurement requires only a few minutes each day, but consistent observation over time is important.
Background: Precipitation is an essential piece of the water cycle but, as anyone knows who has been at the edge of a rain shower, it is a highly variable element in that cycle.
Significance: While precipitation is monitored by a variety of sensors such as Weather Radar, Doppler Radar, rain gauge networks and satellites, none of these has sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to capture the fine scale of precipitation events. Monitors on the ground with appropriate instruments can add considerably to our knowledge of precipitation variability.
Project Links: Live Access Server Precipitation
Real Time Data Source: The National Weather Service provides real-time precipitation information for most of the US. Enter your city or zip code, then look at the radar imagery, for example.
MY NASA DATA Source: The Live Access Server contains monthly information on Precipitation, and Snow and Ice cover. This information is climatic, and thus only available for historical time periods. But it can serve as a reference for comparison to current data.
Project Ideas: Set up a rain gauge to measure local precipitation and compare to your local standard (often at an airport). Provide the information to local media during events with significant variability. Set up a hail pad to record hail events in your area. Document and report significant hail events to your local media. You might even freeze a few hailstones for analysis later. Set up a snow board to measure snowfall in your area.
Analysis Ideas: Compare your local measurements with the official precipitation records for your town (often taken at an airport). Use web resources such as the Weather Underground to identify privately operated weather stations near you that report rainfall. Map out the variability of precipitation for storm events. Compare the surface results to satellite-based precipitation information such as that in the MY NASA DATA Live Access Server.
Related Projects: The CoCoRaHS Project offers a precise and integrated network for residents of certain states. If your state is not included, consider becoming a state coordinator or helping to identify an organization to serve in that role. The GLOBE Program also collects precipitation data from participating K-12 schools and other participating groups. The Rain Log network collects precipitation, especially from locations in Arizona.
Questions: How much time elapsed between the beginning and ending of the precipitation? What type of precipitation occurred? How much time elapsed before a change (if any) occurred in the vegetation?
Going Further: Place a rain gauge or ruler so that it can be included in photographs. Record the amount of precipitation as the photos are taken.
Project ideas contributed by Lin Chambers

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