HR: 1340h
AN: H13A-0971 [Abstracts]
TI: Remote Environmental Monitoring With a Wireless Sensor Network System
AU: * KIZITO, F
EM: fkizito@ucdavis.edu
AF: University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, VH 106, Davis, CA 95616,
AU: Hopmans, J W
EM: jwhopmans@ucdavis.edu
AF: University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, VH 106, Davis, CA 95616,
AU: Bales, R
EM: rbales@ucmerced.edu
AF: University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343,
AU: Tuli, A
EM: atuli@ucdavis.edu
AF: University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, VH 106, Davis, CA 95616,
AU: Kamai, T
EM: tkamai@ucdavis.edu
AF: University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, VH 106, Davis, CA 95616,
AB:
Wireless sensors have the potential to reveal dynamic environmental variables in remote landscapes at reduced
long-term costs and offer a promising approach to revolutionize environmental monitoring. Better management of
surface water in remote landscapes warrants close monitoring of moisture and temperature variability. This work
describes field data demonstrating the functionality of a deployed wireless network system, consisting of various
soil moisture sensors.
Soil water potential sensors with an imbedded thermistor were deployed in a remote meadow along a
topographic gradient with dense tree canopies in Wolverton Meadows in Sequoia National Park. The sensors
responded to moisture and temperature variations and the wireless system met the goal of providing informative
data on dynamic responses of soil moisture to rainfall and snowmelt. The deployed sensor system functioned
well during harsh winter conditions at 7000 feet, requiring low power.
The study highlights measurement accuracy limitations and presents an alternative, robust wireless Zigbee
sensor network, using Crossbow motes. We demonstrate that deployment, implementation and long-term field
monitoring in remote and challenging environments is possible with current technologies.
DE: 1848 Monitoring networks
DE: 1863 Snow and ice (0736, 0738, 0776, 1827)
DE: 1866 Soil moisture
DE: 1879 Watershed
DE: 1895 Instruments and techniques: monitoring
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting