Knowledge BaseBatteries, Solar, and AC PowerA common question when deploying environmental monitoring systems is what type and how much power do I need. If under-designed the power supply could fail to provide adequate power, resulting in data loss. If over-designed the power supply can add an... Learn More Alkalines and other primary cell batteriesTypically environmental monitoring systems are battery operated as they are either in remote locations, or need to be able to record data when power is unavailable. For the purpose of this section we are going to focus on battery systems with alkalin... Learn More Grounding, Surge, and Lightning ProtectionElectrical grounding is a commonly misunderstood and improperly implemented component of Environmental Monitoring Systems. Systems that do not use electrical grounding components can experience either complete system failures or continuous intermitte... Learn More SDI-12 Sensor ProtocolSDI-12 is a data communications protocol developed specifically for environmental monitoring applications. The motivation to develop SDI-12 began in the 1980s when a group of environmental monitoring specialists started to become frustrated with the... Learn More Water Temperature MeasurementWater temperature expresses how hot or cold the water is. Technically, heat is an indicator of the kinetic energy of water, or energy of motion. Increasing temperature indicates increasing energy, or molecular motion, of water.... Learn More Conductivity and Salinity MeasurementConductivity and salinity measures the waters ability to conduct electricity, which provides a measure of what is dissolved in water. Pure, distilled water is a very poor conductor of electricity. When salts and other inorganic chemicals dissolve in ... Learn More Dissolved Oxygen MeasurementDissolved oxygen is the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water. It is the oxygen that aquatic plants and animals use to live. Dissolved oxygen is often called DO for short. Dissolved oxygen levels frequently range anywhere from 2 to 14 milligrams pe... Learn More pH MeasurementpH describes the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. A low pH indicates acidic conditions, and a high pH indicates basic conditions. pH is actually a measure of the amount of hydrogen ions in solution. In fact, some people think of pH as being the p... Learn More Turbidity MeasurementTurbidity is a measure of the amount of suspended material in the water. It describes the clarity of water. Suspended materials in water, such as clay, silt, and algae, reduce water clarity and cause turbidity.... Learn More Water Level MeasurementWater level is used to measure the changes in depth of a body of water over a period of time. Daily fluctuations in water level are a common characteristic of many water bodies, including saltwater and freshwater estuaries.... Learn More Air Temperature MeasurementAir temperature is a measure of how hot or cold the air is. It is the most commonly measured weather parameter. More specifically, temperature describes the kinetic energy, or energy of motion, of the gases that make up air. As gas molecules move mor... Learn More Relative Humidity MeasurementRelative humidity is a measure of the amount of moisture in the air relative to the total amount of moisture that the air can hold. For instance, if the relative humidity is 50%, then the air is only half saturated with moisture. Warmer air can hold ... Learn More Barometric Pressure MeasurementBarometric pressure is the weight of the overlying air pressing down on the earth. It is also known as air pressure. Low barometric pressure means the overlying air is rising, whereas high pressure means the overlying air is sinking.... Learn More PAR MeasurementPAR is the amount of light available for photosynthesis. PAR stands for photosynthetically active radiation. It is the amount of light in the 400 to 700 nanometer wavelength range, which is what plants use for photosynthesis. ... Learn More Precipitation MeasurementPrecipitation is any form of water that falls to the earths surface. This includes snow, rain, sleet, freezing rain, and hail. Precipitation is generated in clouds. When water vapor droplets in clouds become so large that updrafts within the clouds c... Learn More Wind Speed and Direction MeasurementWind speed describes how fast the air is moving past a certain point. This may be an averaged over a given unit of time, such as miles per hour, or an instantaneous speed, which is reported as a peak wind speed, wind gust or squall. ... Learn More Water Quality MeasurementWith industrialization came environmental impact. By the 1960s, water pollution was prevalent in many parts of the United States with rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters rapidly degrading. There are many examples of industrialization impactin... Learn More Weather MeasurementThe impact of weather is evident throughout human history. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast causing severe loss of life and property. The mass destruction led to the largest population redistribution in United States history.... Learn More Temperature Data LoggerThe NexSens micro-T temperature data logger consists of a computer chip, temperature thermistor, and battery enclosed in a 16mm thick stainless steel can. The micro-T is a self-contained, self-powered, and field-rugged package that measures just over... Learn More Ion Selective ElectrodesIon selective electrodes, more commonly referred to as ISEs, are membrane electrodes that measure specific ions and gasses. This is done by converting the activity of a specific ion dissolved into a solution into electrical potential, typically measu... Learn More Environmental Data ManagementEnvironmental data management is the process of collecting data from sensors, surveys, observations, etc. and turning it into relevant information for monitoring and assessment of ecological conditions. Through data collection, interpretation and ana... Learn More | |