Introduction for forest researchers to the monitoring of environmental conditions with automatic data loggers. The report discusses various aspects of the experimental design (definition of what, where, how, and when to measure), the technological design, and the management of environmental monitoring research programs. A case study of a large field installation with continuous monitoring of 92 sensors is used to demonstrate the design, operation, and management of data from a research project.
Written 10 years after the publication of the first edition, this updated edition of Real-Time Environmental Monitoring: Sensors and Systems introduces the fundamentals of environmental monitoring based on electronic sensors, instruments, systems, and software that allow continuous and long-term ecological and environmental data collection. It accomplishes two objectives: explains how to use sensors for building more complex instruments, systems, and databases, and introduces a variety of sensors and systems employed to measure environmental variables in air, water, soils, vegetation canopies, and wildlife observation and tracking. This second edition is thoroughly updated in every aspect of technology and data, and each theoretical chapter is taught parallel with a hands-on application lab manual. Emphasizes real-time monitoring as an emerging area for environmental assessment and compliance and covers the fundamentals on how to develop sensors and systems Presents several entirely new topics not featured in the first edition, including remote sensing and GIS, machine learning, weather radar and satellites, groundwater monitoring, spatial analysis, and habitat monitoring Includes applications to many environmental and ecological systems Uses a practical, hands-on approach with the addition of an accompanying lab manual, which students can use to deepen their understanding, based on the author’s 40 years of academic experience Intended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, taking courses in civil and environmental engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, geosciences, and environmental sciences, as well as professionals working in environmental services, and researchers and academics in engineering.
An indexing, abstracting and document delivery service that covers current Canadian report literature of reference value from government and institutional sources.
In the summer of 2003, a workshop was held in Portsmouth, NH, to discuss land measurement techniques for the North American Carbon Program. Over 40 sci- tists representing government agencies, academia and nonprofit research organi- tions located in Canada, the US and Mexico participated. During the course of the workshop a number of topics were discussed, with an emphasis on the following: • The need for an intermediate tier of carbon measurements. This level of study would be more extensive than state-level inventories of the US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, but less detailed than intensive ecos- tem studies sites such as those in Long Term Ecological Research network. This tier would ideally provide a basis to link and scale remote sensing measurements and inventory data, and supply data required to parameterize existing models (see Wofsy and Harriss 2002, Denning et al. 2005). • The design criteria that such a network of sites should meet. The network and s- pling design should be standardized, but flexible enough to be applied across North America. The design also needs to be efficient enough to be implemented without the need for large field crews, yet robust enough to provide useful information. Finally, the spatial scale must permit easy linkage to remotely sensed data. • The key variables that should be measured at each site, and the frequency of measurement.
