RMBL Distributed Environmental Sensor Network (DESN)

The RMBL Distributed Environmental Sensor Network (DESN) consists of permanent and portable weather stations and other sensors deployed along an elevational gradient. The DESN enables measurement of important environmental parameters such as rainfall, soil moisture, temperature, radiation, and soil CO2 that improve the ability of RMBL scientists to study how organisms interact with the environment. Sensors include:

  • Permanent Meteorological (Weather) Stations
  • Portable Weather Stations
  • Soil Carbon Dioxide Sensors
  • Sap Flow Sensors
  • The Mexican Cut Pond Array

With the DESN, RMBL scientists can pursue a number of specific questions, including how climate variability affects water budgets, ecosystem carbon fluxes, and species distributions; to test hypotheses concerning the physiological underpinnings of species hybrid zones; to identify how environmental parameters interact with social dynamics to influence marmot population demography, influence butterfly species invasions, and plant, amphibian, and stream/pond insect population dynamics.

To learn more about the DESN and to use the equipment, contact the Science Director, Dr. Jennie Reithel.Z

The DESN project was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (DBI-0821369). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.