Picture above: downloading data from soil temperature and moisture probes at Morven Sustainability lab.
Picture right: soil moisture probes at 10 cm and 50 cm in a soil profile at Morven Sustainability lab.
Monitoring is the only way to see changes in nature. This goes back to monks noting when flowers, birds, and snow appear to farmers and wine makers noting the first leaves and flowers on their crops.
The problem with monitoring is that it is slow, costly, and susceptible to many issues. Time goes by at a relatively constant rate (Einstein pun, sorry), so the only way to get 10 years of data is to wait 10 years!
Monitoring equipment is not free and it degrades over time due to weather and pesky animals. Lastly, there are so many things that can cause sensors to not measure things correctly.
Picture above: Clear cut loblolly stand at UVA’s Morven Sustainability Lab, in Central Virginia, awaiting replanting.
Picture right: soil moisture probes installation in a clear cut forest stand.
I have made the effort to add monitoring to synoptic soil, sediment, and water sampling. These probes will tell us soil moisture and temperature every hour, for years to come. This will tell us about water balance, temperature of reactions, and how biota are likely to fair in the soils at given conditions. When coupled with gas, water, and soil sampling, we can put together a better picture of how the soils are behaving.
