Re: Equipment for national monitoring

[Carlton Weber]

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dear professor Alan Robock

we are due to release in 2002 a simple microcontroller moisure monitoring
system utilising platinum contact electrodes in a PVC tube housing, and
1mV/deg.K IC's to monitor moisture and temperature, intended for very
specifically the type of application envisaged by yourself. data logging,
with settable logging intervals are standard. the purpose using a  PVC tube
housing is to also take periodic neutron probe readings at the different
platinum contact electrode depths. this allows an additional check on system
integrity.

the system was developed as a cheap, cost-effective but still accurate
system to complement neutron probe irrigation scheduling, but as many of our
clients are hydrologists doing aquifer research, attention to detail was
paid in respect of long term accuracy and repeatability.

should this be of interest, please contact me.

carlton .l. a. weber
director: development - geoquip (pty) ltd
carlton@geoquip.co.za

----- Original Message -----
From: <owner-sowacs@aqua.ccwr.ac.za>
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 8:56 AM
Subject: Equipment for national monitoring

> Sowacsers
>
> NOAA is planning a national climate monitoring network with 250 station
> throughout the US.  We will be able to install soil moisture and
> temperature sensors that will operate automatically and should work for
> many years.  Please send me advice on what type of sensor to use.
>
> Obviously, gravimetric obs would be best, but this is too expensive.  My
> experience with thermal dissipation sensor data now being used at the
> Oklahoma Mesonet is that it is difficult to get them to work well in all
> soils.  What would be the best to use for a long-term climate monitoring
> network, measuring the top 1-2 m of soil at 4-8 levels?
>
> Alan Robock
>
> Professor Alan Robock
>   Editor, JGR - Atmospheres
>   Director, Center for Environmental Prediction
> Department of Environmental Sciences              Phone: +1-732-932-9478
> Rutgers University                                  Fax: +1-732-932-8644
> 14 College Farm Road                   E-mail: robock@envsci.rutgers.edu
> New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8551  USA      http://envsci.rutgers.edu/~robock
>
>