Discover how and why to use your smartphone to help NASA measure tree heighT

Trees are some of the biggest, tallest and oldest organisms on Earth. The tallest tree in the world, Hyperion, stretches 380 feet tall, while the oldest, named Methuselah, is over 4,800 years old! From young saplings to mature giants, trees are the bedrock of forests, and an important player in ecosystems around the world. 

Did you know that NASA uses sensors on satellites and the International Space Station to learn how much carbon is being stored in forests? Now, NASA is asking for your help verifying the measurements from satellites to fill in gaps in that data. 

Here’s how you can get involved in the NASA GLOBE Observer: Trees project. Download the free app GLOBE Observer: Trees and simply follow the app’s instructions to use your smartphone to measure and report the height of trees near you. It’s so easy! All you need to do is visually center the top and bottom of a tree where noted in the app, then, from that location, count the number of steps it takes you to walk to the tree.

Optional: Use a tape measure to measure tree trunk circumference, too, which gives a better idea of how big a tree is, and how much carbon it stores.

Data from GLOBE Observer: Trees, as well as other GLOBE projects feeds into larger NASA efforts to answer big-picture questions about the ecosystems and environments on our planet, and how those are changing. The trees in your neighborhood are one small part of the entire Earth’s ecosystem — but we need to understand the small parts to understand the whole!

Learn more about GLOBE Observer: Trees on SciStarter today!

Cheers,

The SciStarter Team