MRI: Development of a Smart 3-D Wireless Sensor Network For Terrain-Climate Research in Remote Mountainous Environments.

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This Major Research Instrumentation award funds the development of an integrated sensor network to measure atmospheric, hydrologic, geospheric and biological processes along climatic, forest productivity and land use gradients. The smart wireless sensor network is located in the wildlands of Idaho at The Taylor Wilderness Research Station (TWRS) in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness (FCRW). The sensor network thus enables researchers to conduct novel and innovative climate change research in remote mountainous regions where data to support climate and ecological models are lacking. Developing sensor networks that function in such challenging environments is essential since mountains make up ~20% of the earth surface. Furthermore, mountainous regions include wilderness and other relatively pristine natural sites with limited human impact, which are indispensable benchmarks for comparison with human dominated sites. Data from the sensor network is used in climate and ecology research, to help train graduate students, and made available through the WWW for use by researchers beyond the University of Idaho. Additional outcomes from these research and teaching efforts will be broadly disseminated through abstracts and peer reviewed publications, as well as by active participation of students and faculty at professional meetings.