Open AccessTaking the Temperature of Ecological Systems With Fiber Optics: Fiber Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing for Ecological Characterization; Blue River, Oregon, 10–15 September 2007
Author(s) -
Selker John S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2008eo200007
Subject(s) - optical fiber , environmental science , remote sensing , fiber optic sensor , pulse (music) , fiber , materials science , optics , geology , physics , detector , composite material
Fiber‐optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) is emerging as a powerful tool for hydrological and ecological observation over wide spatial and temporal scales. DTS instillations allow for the precise observation of temperature at each meter of fiber‐optic cables, with a precision of up to 0.01°C. The temperature is computed from the light backscattered following an intense laser pulse, and the location of each reading is determined by the arrival time of the pulse back to the central recording station. Because cables can exceed 10,000 meters in length, DTS holds the potential for transformative observation of diverse Earth processes.