Book 7, Question 143
Why Can Citizen Scientists Help Weather Research?
You do not need a lab coat to help real scientists. Volunteers report rain, snow depth, and sky conditions from their own backyards. Those many small reports give scientists lots of extra weather data.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 7
More fun facts
- CoCoRaHS (say KO-ko-rozz) is a network of backyard weather watchers of all ages who measure rain, hail, and snow.
- CoCoRaHS has more than 16,000 volunteers across the country.
- Members set up a rain gauge and report their readings every day.
- NASA scientists use CoCoRaHS hail reports to learn how fast hail melts as it falls.
- In the GLOBE program, students around the world observe clouds when satellites pass overhead, so scientists can compare the two views.
- When a GLOBE cloud report is made within 15 minutes of a satellite pass, it counts as a match.
Sources: NASA Science, NASA, NASA Science
Questions kids ask
Can kids be weather scientists?
Yes. Volunteers of all ages report rain, hail, snow, and clouds to real science projects.
What is CoCoRaHS?
A volunteer network of backyard observers who measure rain, hail, and snow.