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Resolving barometric pressure waves in seasonal snowpack with a prototype‐embedded wireless sensor network
Author(s) -
Lampkin D. J.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/hyp.7540
Subject(s) - snowpack , environmental science , pressure sensor , wireless sensor network , tower , atmospheric pressure , remote sensing , amplitude , geology , meteorology , snow , computer science , geomorphology , physics , engineering , computer network , civil engineering , thermodynamics , quantum mechanics
Abstract Networked micro‐sensors have the capacity to enable improvements in ground‐based data collection at resolutions that are currently unresolved. Crossbow® Environmental Motes (MEP410 models) were embedded in an accumulated snowpack in a meadow at Niwot Ridge long‐term ecological research (LTER) C1 site. Motes were mounted to a custom designed deployment structure that constitutes an adaptive sensor ‘tower’ at a maximum height of 142 with sensors deployed at depths of 122, 71 and 17 cm from the ground. Barometric pressures measured from this embedded wireless network indicate low frequency fluctuations over the study period with higher frequency components varying as a function of depth. Mean pressures measured over the analysis period were 707·82 mb (122 cm), 702·48 mb (71 cm), and 704·09 mb (17 cm). Results indicate filtering of high frequency components of pressure measured at depth with reduced amplitude and time‐lag (phase shift) modulated by changes in snowpack permeability related to density changes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.