Welcome to the Iowa Science Phenomena website! The goal of this website and service is to create, curate, collect and share a growing collection of user-generated, media-based, standards aligned, science phenomena resources for use in Iowa classrooms, as well as support Iowa teachers as they continue to implement phenomena-based and place-based teaching practices.

There are several ways you can be involved in this project:

Questions? Please contact us at phenomena@iowapbs.org.
A pond filled with algae.

Algae Abundance in F.W. Kent Lake

The amount of filamentous and periphytic algae (growing on plants) over a four-week period was visibly reduced after an early summer bloom, as shown in the before and after footage.

A pitcher with water that is a little murky.

Testing to Determine Water Quality

Water can be encountered in many different states of quality. Some...

Goldenrod plant in bloom.

Goldenrod and Horsetail in their Natural Habitats

This shows different species of plants that grow in Iowa ditches...

An apple that has been bruised and scarred.

Environmental Effects on Iowa’s Apples

The phenomena is blemishes on a Granny Smith apple, grown in Algona...

A cow outside in a snowstorm.

How Cows Adapt to Changing Seasons

When the seasons change, we have ways to adapt to those differences in...

A water tower in a town on a fall day.

Water Towers Purpose

Water towers can be found in almost every town and city in Iowa. Their...

Clouds at dusk over a silhouette of trees.

Air Masses, Clouds and Weather Change

Clouds are made up of trillions of water droplets and are an essential...

Ladybugs in a window sill.

Bugs in Winter

When the weather turns cold, fewer bugs are seen. Many bugs can...

A beaver dam over a small creek in the woods.

Beaver Dams Versus Human Dams

Beavers build dams to stop the flow of water which creates a pond that...

Red, yellow, and orange leaves that have fallen off of trees.

Dormancy of Trees

In the fall every year in Iowa there is a pattern of the leaves...

A curved, yellow bike rack casting a shadow on the concrete ground.

Shadow Tracking from the Sun

As the earth rotates the sun changes places in the sky. This affects...

Along the edge of a pond, greenish white algae and mud is visible.

Runoff Nutrient Pollution

Algae is a green substance that lives on the surface of Iowa lakes and...

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