United States GLOBE Office

10/15/2026

The GLOBE Program North American Phenology Campaign continues! Photos of color changes are being uploaded through the GLOBE Observer app from participants across the continent. Below you can see satellite images shared by PACE scientists share as well as text with what they’re noticing on each image.

This week, from October 5–11, we can see that red pigments are intensifying across the Canadian Plains, the Midwest, and the eastern part of North America. In contrast to last week, the hotspots of pigment in the mountainous Northeast have reduced as trees in the region lose their leaves and the pigment signals lessen. In the Midwest, anthocyanin signal is starting to stand out, especially in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and along the corn belt in states like Illinois and Iowa. Alberta and Saskatchewan continue to see high anthocyanin signals as well.

The accompanying photo, from southern Quebec, is a nice mosaic of yellows, oranges, reds, and greens (likely mostly conifers). There are some bare branches, too!

Globally, red pigment continues to be present across all of Russia and northeastern China, as well as Northern Europe and North America. Alaska in particular is seeing a strong anthocyanin signal along its west and north coasts. Compared to last week, pigment signals have slightly decreased as peak color passes in the highest latitudes and trees lose their needles and leaves. In the southern hemisphere, we see a strong red over green signal from the Caatinga region in northeastern Brazil. This area is currently entering their summer months and would not be exhibiting fall colors. The high values of the pigment ratio are likely a response to the dry season the region is currently experiencing.

10/15/2026

There's still time to measure green-down and observe leaf color changes across the landscape! There are two ways to participate. Find out more at www.globe.gov/napc.

Go leaf-peeping for science! A UNH program can help you turn a fall day in the woods into data that will help NASA scientists monitor leaf color changes.

It’s called the North American Phenology Campaign — phenology is the study of nature’s cycles, like leaves changing color — and its goal is to get a closer look at the timing and progression of fall colors across the landscape.

The campaign is part of the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment, or GLOBE, Program, an international science program that has its U.S. offices at UNH’s Leitzel Center.

Get started by downloading the GLOBE Observer app: https://observer.globe.gov/

UNH Research

10/13/2026

There's still time to observe leaf color change with the North American Phenology Campaign! www.globe.gov/napc

It's Earth Science Week!🌎

Celebrate by getting outside & admiring fall foliage with The GLOBE Program's North American Phenology Campaign.🍂

Your observations can help PACE scientists better map leaf color from space!

10/08/2026

The GLOBE Program North American Phenology Campaign continues! Photos of color changes are being uploaded through the GLOBE Observer app from participants across the continent. Below you can see satellite images shared by PACE scientists share as well as text with what they’re noticing on each image.

This week, from September 29–October 4, we can see that fall colors are emerging in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec and in the North Woods of Wisconsin, along with the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau along the Pennsylvania-New York border. Red pigments are intensifying in Southern Quebec, New York, and New England, specifically in the Adirondacks, the Green Mountains, and the White Mountains. These pigments are likely due to the maple, beech, and birch trees at higher elevations that have turned bright red and yellow. Agricultural areas continue showing strong anthocyanin signals as well.

The accompanying photo, with some yellow and orange colors showing on the trees in the background, is from northern New Hampshire. This location is near the red areas visible in northern New Hampshire on the map of North America.

Globally, strong red pigment continues to develop across Southwestern Alaska and near the treeline in northern Alaska. Colors are also appearing all across Russia and northeastern China as the larches continue to lose their needles. Forests in Northern Europe continue to develop more anthocyanin and are gaining presence on the map. Color is also increasing across North America, with Canada and the northeastern and midwestern United States showing high anthocyanin signal. Meanwhile, countries in the southern hemisphere continue showing high relative chlorophyll as they inch toward the summer months.

Find these maps and more updates on the North American Phenology Campaign page https://www.globe.gov/web/north-america/home/north-america-phenology-campaign/pace-updates

10/05/2026

Are you in the United States and searching for equipment to use with the GLOBE protocols? Check out the GLOBE Equipment and Kits Dashboard created by the U.S. GLOBE Office, which provides links to various vendor options in the U.S. and even offers instructions to make your own equipment when appropriate.

Find the GLOBE Equipment Database here: https://www.globe.gov/web/north-america/home/globe-equipment-suppliers

10/01/2026

The GLOBE Program North American Phenology Campaign continues! Photos of color changes are being uploaded through the GLOBE Observer app from participants across the continent. Below you can see satellite images shared by PACE scientists share as well as text with what they’re noticing on each image.

This week, from September 22-28, we can see that red pigments are spreading across Canada and the northeastern United States, with colors appearing throughout much of Quebec and Ontario, as well as in the mountains in New England and northern New York. The Hudson Bay Lowlands and Great Lakes regions continue to show higher values of anthocyanin. Red pigment in agricultural areas is increasing as well, with the corn belt across the United States showing a concentrated amount of anthocyanin compared to last week’s figures.

The accompanying photo, where you can see some faint color changes on the hills and mountains in the background, is from a peak in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. This location is within the yellow area visible in northern New York on the above map of North America.

Globally, color is spreading across Northern European countries like Sweden and Norway. Anthocyanin signals across North American countries are intensifying as well, while forests in countries across East Asia and Central/Western Europe continue to show relatively high amounts of chlorophyll. The strong color change in eastern Siberia is because boreal forests are dominated by larch trees, which are deciduous conifers, that is, needle-leaved trees who lose their needles in the fall and grow new ones in the spring.

Updates will be shared throughout the fall on https://www.globe.gov/.../north-america.../pace-updates.

09/29/2026

This podcast from NPR asks (but doesn't quite answer!) "Why do only certain leaves turn red?" This is a fascinating discussion, just in the nick of time for fall and the North American Phenology Campaign. Check it out!

Leaves turn yellow in the fall because Chlorophyll breaks down, revealing the yellow pigment that was there all along. But why red? Red is a different story altogether. Leaves have to make a new pigment to turn red. Why would a dying leaf go an extra mile to do that? Scientists don’t really know. ...

09/28/2026

At a recent webinar, U.S. GLOBE Country Coordinator Jennifer Bourgeault asked PACE scientist Skye Caplan for advice on taking useful photos for The GLOBE Program's North American Phenology Campaign.

The major take-aways were:
☑️ Try to not include a lot of sky in your photos.
☑️ Include the cardinal direction (for instance, "southwest") in the caption of feature photos (not mentioned in this clip, but it was discussed in another part of the webinar!)

Watch their exchange in this video 👇

As part of the joint GLOBE Observer Connect/Trees Around the GLOBE ...

09/25/2026

The GLOBE Program North American Phenology Campaign is underway! Photos of color changes are being uploaded through the GLOBE Observer app from participants across the continent. And PACE scientists have shared their first satellite images and told us what they’re noticing.

From September 14– 21, we can see higher amounts of red pigment starting to appear across northern Canada and Hudson Bay Lowlands. Some of those same pigments are appearing in the agricultural areas of the Canadian Prairies and along the banks of the Mississippi River in the United States. The color changes visible in central Canada are likely due to the aspen woodlands of the southern boreal forest changing color.

The accompanying photo, with some nice yellow and orange colors showing on the trees, is from Alaska. This location is near the red areas visible in Alaska on the map of North America.

Globally, Siberia is starting to see very high values of red pigment compared to greens as we reach the first official days of autumn. The same changes are starting to be seen in Northern Europe and Canada. Shifts in pigment can also be seen in some agricultural areas in Brazil and the Canadian Prairies.

Updates will be shared throughout the fall on https://www.globe.gov/web/north-america/home/north-america-phenology-campaign/pace-updates.

09/24/2026

Congratulations to Becca Hatheway and the NSF NCAR & UCAR SciEd team for their recent award from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE). If you enjoy the The GLOBE Program's Elementary GLOBE storybooks, you can thank Becca and her team! This is a well deserved award. Read more 👇