Esther Korošec
15. 1. 2025, 08.12
Updated: 15/01/2025, 08.13
The Drava River is heavily polluted with microplastics, even more than many seas. This alarming fact was revealed by the students of Mladika Elementary School, who have been participating in the Globe Slovenia project since 2021. Their work within the project emphasizes the importance of research and awareness of environmental problems that we face in the local and global environment.
Mladika elementary school is one of the first schools in Slovenia to join the Globe Slovenia project. The purpose of their participation is to encourage students to environmental research and awareness. Throughout the school year, students carry out various research and measurements, such as the analysis of water, air and other natural resources. The data they collect is sent to an international database used by scientists around the world to study environmental change. They thereby contribute to a better understanding of local and global environmental challenges.
Mladika Elementary School can boast of exceptional success in the Globe Slovenia project, as they have entered 1,000 measurements so far. With their dedicated work and numerous research activities, they have become an exemplary school that encourages students to actively explore the environment and contributes to international scientific cooperation. “Our teachers and students who participate in the Globe Slovenia project are extremely motivated and very precise in their work. Some of the research is really interesting – probably many people would not think that we are also involved in measuring the height of trees in our park or the coloration of tree leaves.” emphasized the principal Bogomir Širovnik. In addition to regular measurements of the Drava River, they are engaged in, among other things, year-round soil measurement at a depth of five and ten centimeters, periodic measurement of tree height using the GLOBE application, determination and classification of clouds, monitoring of changes in leaf color (green down) and leaf greening (green up). , experimental monitoring of precipitation amounts for three weeks, research on microplastics in the Drava River and many other activities.
A new weather station and a visit from a NASA scientist
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This school year, as part of the Globe Slovenia project, the school acquired a new weather station that measures air temperature, the highest and lowest daily air temperature, air humidity and air pressure. According to the principal of Širovnik, it was erected according to the instructions and protocols of the GLOBE project and it stands in front of the school. The exact height, orientation and surrounding objects are important. Measurements are most useful in science subjects such as biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics and science. The station is currently used by sixth, seventh and eighth grade students who joined the project this school year. Another important innovation is that the weather station will soon be connected to the Slovenian Environment Agency (ARSO). In addition, a scientist from the American agency NASA plans to visit Mladika Primary School this year, which they are very much looking forward to.
Students help scientists explore the environment
The GLOBE Slovenia project is part of the international program GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment), which was launched in 1995 by the American space agency NASA. It is an educational program in which pupils and students participate in environmental research, collect scientific data and carry out measurements such as analysis of water, air, soil and vegetation quality.
Source: svet24.si
