Inexpensive Time-Lapse Digital Cameras for Studying Transient Meteorological Phenomena: Dust Devils and Playa Flooding

The authors describe the design and performance of inexpensive and compact time-lapse cameras suitable for field deployment in remote locations for long periods and their application to studying two time-variable meteorological phenomena in arid regions: desert dust devils and transient flooding of playa lakes. The camera units (with a total parts cost of ∼$80) are based around commercial “point and shoot” digital cameras, storing ∼1500 images on a solid-state memory card over a period between an hour to several months powered by alkaline batteries. A microcontroller can trigger image acquisition based on sensor inputs or at regular intervals. Some example results are presented, showing an association of cumulus clouds with thermals from dust devils, a region of dust enhancement around a dust devil, and a dramatic range of conditions at Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park. Alternative systems and applications are also discussed.