MIRRA

MIRRA measures microclimate variables in real time to capture fine-scale climate variation influenced by soil, vegetation, and topography for ecological and environmental studies.

Key Features:

• Real-Time Data Collection: Provides near-instantaneous access to microclimate data via a cellular uplink for real-time monitoring.
• Modular Design: Supports integration of sensors including air and soil temperature, soil moisture, and radiation.
• Wireless Data Transmission: Uses a wireless node system to transmit data from sensor modules to a gateway without cables.
• Power Efficiency: Optimizes power consumption to enable long-term field deployment.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Balances cost between low-cost manual devices and high-end weather stations to enable comprehensive microclimate data collection.

Scientific Applications:

• Ecological Monitoring: Enables study of climate change impacts and microclimate dynamics in forests, croplands, mountains, shrublands, and other remote habitats.
• Microclimate Temperature Analysis: Provides detailed temperature measurements at microclimate scales to improve detection and attribution of climate change effects.
• Customized Sensor Deployments: Supports customized sensor arrays tailored to specific research needs and diverse scientific investigations.
• Long-Term Studies and Model Development: Supports real-time data logging for long-term ecological studies and development of models predicting environmental changes.

Methodology:

Deploy sensor modules equipped with air and soil temperature, soil moisture, and radiation sensors; wirelessly transmit collected data to a central gateway using cellular technology with optimized power use; validate performance in field conditions by comparing against established data loggers.