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Abstract Wave‐generated flows, associated hydrodynamic forces, and disturbances created by them play critical roles in determining the structure and health of near‐shore coastal ecosystems. Oscillatory motions produced by waves increase delivery of nutrients and food to benthic organisms, and can enhance vertical mixing to facilitate delivery of larvae and spores to the seafloor. At the same time, wave disturbances can remove individuals and biomass with far‐reaching effects on critical coastal ecosystems and the biodiversity within them. Commercial instruments designed to measure wave characteristics and the effects of wave energy can be expensive to purchase and deploy, limiting their use in large quantities or in areas where they may be lost. We have developed an inexpensive open‐source pressure transducer data logger based on an Arduino microcontroller that can be used to characterize wave conditions for deployments lasting multiple months. Our design criteria centered around simplicity, longevity, low cost, and ease of use for researchers. Housed in ubiquitous polyvinylchloride (PVC) plumbing and constructed primarily with readily available materials, the Open Wave Height Logger (OWHL) can be fabricated in a college setting with basic shop tools. The OWHL performs comparably to commercial pressure‐based wave height data loggers during tests in the field, creating the opportunity to expand the use of these sensors for applications where sufficient spatial replication or risk of instrument loss would otherwise be cost prohibitive.
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An Open-Source, Durable, and Low-Cost Alternative to Commercially Available Soil Temperature Data Loggers
Soil temperatures play an important role in determining the distribution and function of organisms. However, soil temperature is decoupled from air temperature and varies widely in space. Characterizing and predicting soil temperature requires large and expensive networks of data loggers. We developed an open-source soil temperature data logger and created online resources to ensure our design was accessible. We tested data loggers constructed by students, with little prior electronics experience, in the lab, and in the field in Alaska. The do-it-yourself (DIY) data logger was comparably accurate to a commercial system with a mean absolute error of 2% from −20–0 °C and 1% from 0–20 °C. They captured accurate soil temperature data and performed reliably in the field with less than 10% failing in the first year of deployment. The DIY loggers were ~1.7–7 times less expensive than commercial systems. This work has the potential to increase the spatial resolution of soil temperature monitoring and serve as a powerful educational tool. The DIY soil temperature data logger will reduce data collection costs and improve our understanding of species distributions and ecological processes. It also provides an educational resource to enhance STEM, accessibility, inclusivity, and engagement.
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- PAR ID:
- 10314400
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Sensors
- Volume:
- 22
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1424-8220
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3390/s22010148
