America’s space agency wants you to head for the mountains with a smartphone and a measuring stick.

NASA’s earth science arm is funding research that recruits citizen scientists on skis Harold Landry Titans Jersey , snowshoes and snowmobiles to measure snow depth in backcountry locations of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

Their measurements will be incorporated into computer models that calculate how much water will end up in the region’s rivers and reservoirs.

Early results have been promising.

”Our initial model runs show that citizen science measurements are doing an amazing job of improving our simulations,” said David Hill, an Oregon State University professor of civil engineering, who is collaborating with Alaska and University of Washington researchers. They received one of 16 NASA citizen science grants for the project.

The snowpack measurements are incorporated into computer models estimating ”snow-water equivalent,” the amount of liquid water contained in snow cover, of a watershed.

In western states, according to NASA, nearly three-fourths of annual stream flow that provides drinking water comes from spring and summer melt.

NASA in February began a multiyear research project to improve the accuracy of its snow measurements with partners in Europe and Canada, trying to solve challenges such as detecting snow through trees.

The grant awarded to Hill, Anthony Arendt of the University of Washington and Gabriel Wolken, a research geologist with the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, is not directly connected to that project but has a mutual interest, said Kevin Murphy, a program executive for science data systems at NASA headquarters.

”We decided about two years ago to start this program Youth Frank Ragnow Jersey , which really looks at how can we harness the creativity and the capabilities of citizens to augment a lot of our satellite or aircraft measurements,” Murphy said.

Snow telemetry stations maintained by the U.S. Agriculture Department are another important tool for measuring snow in high-elevation and other hard-to-access places, Hill said. The unmanned stations collect data using a system of automated sensors.

But too few of them exist, Hill said. ”They’re expensive to install, they’re expensive to maintain, so there just aren’t that many.”

The citizen snow-measuring program, Community Snow Observations , aims to supplement that with people.

”We want to turn the public into these mobile snow telemetry stations,” he said. ”You just need a probe to do it.”

The measuring device can be as rudimentary as a yardstick, Hill said, but most people venturing into mountains already carry an avalanche probe, a 5- to 6-meter stick that folds down like a tent pole. After an avalanche, the probes are used to feel for buried people. Probes typically carry measurement markings.

”You want to know when you actually find that person how deep they are,” Hill said. ”They’re really just a big Anthony Averett Color Rush Jersey , long ruler.”

For the citizen science program, an online tutorial tells participants to find undisturbed snow, push the probe firmly to the ground, read the depth in centimeters and enter the data onto a smartphone app. Participants are asked to repeat that several times and average the measurements.

The app records the location and time of the measurement and uploads the information. The program accounts for measurements in continental climate locations with light, dry snow or the wet, dense snow of maritime climates.

Initial measurements were made last winter in Alaska’s Thompson Pass north of Valdez, where other snow research was being conducted.

”I recruited some of the folks from Valdez Avalanche Center. They brought friends along,” said Wolken, the Alaska research geologist. ”That was our first go at getting sort of a grassroots, citizen science team.”

The hundreds of measurements collected far outpaced what the scientists could gather themselves. When NASA announced grants for citizen scientist projects, the researchers jumped to apply, Wolken said.

Preliminary calculations have been ”striking,” Hill said, and the subject of a paper written by a doctoral student.

”He has results that basically show that the errors in our modeled snow-water equivalent are cut by about 90 percent with this input from public Myles Garrett Browns Jersey ,” Hill said. ”We’re thrilled about that.”

Other NASA grants in the program will use citizen scientists to collect data on mosquito populations and their breeding environments around the world, water depths in lakes in North Carolina and elsewhere, moisture in soil at various locations, changes in giant kelp across the globe, and images of clouds from the ground in Colorado.
Francisco Lindor and the Cleveland Indians reached double digits, and then some.

Lindor homered and hit two of the Indians’ 11 doubles Sunday as they ended the Oakland Athletics‘ six-game winning streak with a 15-3 romp.

”It was really good,” Lindor said. ”Hopefully it’ll keep us in the right direction. Guys felt very comfortable today in the box. Hopefully we can carry that approach to tomorrow’s game.”

Edwin Encarnacion also homered and Jose Ramirez, Yonder Alonso and Lonnie Chisenhall each added two doubles. The Indians nearly matched the team record of 12 doubles set against Minnesota in 1996.

”We kept the line moving,” manager Terry Francona said. ”We hit the ball the other way, we hit the ball through the hole, we went first to third. That’s a good recipe for us. They’re grinding and grinding so it’s nice to have something to show for it.”

Alonso had four hits and three RBIs. Cleveland broke open the game with an eight-run eighth inning – its first 10 batters reached without an out.

Mike Clevinger (7-3) allowed three runs over six uneven innings as the AL Central leaders avoided a sweep.

Cleveland led 5-3 before its big eighth, getting five singles, two doubles, two walks and a hit batter before the A’s recorded an out. When Yan Gomes hit a comebacker to pitcher Josh Lucas for the first out Odell Beckham Jr Giants Jersey , the Coliseum crowd of 16,164 erupted in mock cheers.

Khris Davis had two hits for the A’s. Oakland had won 12 of 14 going into the day, but left the bases loaded in the first and struggled to get much going after that.

”It’s unfortunate that this game got completely out of hand for us because the guys felt great about not only playing well but coming back,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. ”We had some good at-bats and then it just got a little out of hand.”

The Indians were outscored 10-3 in the first two games of the series and were on the verge of being swept for the second time this season before breaking out against A’s starter Frankie Montas (4-2) and four relievers.

Lindor struck out in his first at-bat, doubled in his next two and hit his 21st home run in the seventh. The Indians leadoff hitter later drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth.

Encarnacion also homered in the seventh, his 20th this season.

THIS AND THAT

Cleveland’s 13 extra-base hits are the most in the majors in a game this season. . The Indians are 7-1 when facing a sweep in the final game of a series. . Mark Canha has a 10-game hitting streak for Oakland.

DEFENSIVE DOINGS

Chisenhall made a diving catch at the right-field foul line on Chad Pinder’s sinking fly ball to end a bases-loaded threat in the first inning. Center fielder Rajai Davis made an equally impressive diving catch on Jed Lowrie’s liner in the third, then threw back to the infield and the Indians completed an 8-4-3 double play.

”Those were huge,” Davis said. ”Those are rally-killers.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (right elbow contusion) threw 58 pitches over four innings of a rehab start with Double-A Akron.

Athletics: 3B Matt Chapman (right thumb contusion) took batting practice before the game and will begin a rehab stint with Single-A Stockton on Monday.

UP NEXT

Indians: RHP Corey Kluber (11-4, 2.54 ERA) pitches against the Royals in Kansas City on Monday, coming off the shortest start of his career.

Athletics: RHP Chris Bassitt (1-3, 2.82) faces the San Diego Padres on Monday in his second start since getting called up from the minors for the fifth time this season.
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