Antarctica - Sensor Web 3.1
We have partnered with Prof. Ralph Harvey and the
ANSMET program
(whose scientists journey to extremely remote regions of Antarctica
in search of meteorites) to further test Sensor Web technology in
demanding environments. The harsh cold, dry Antarctic climate,
interesting in its own right, is also similar to conditions found
on Mars. During the 2002-2003 field season, a Sensor Web was
deployed in the MacAlpine Hills region of the Transantarctic
Mountains.
Besides the engineering objective of testing the Sensor Web in a
harsh environment where deployment was difficult, there was a
scientific objective to examine temperature variations in a setting
where exposed bedrock and morainal material act as a "heat island"
surrounded by snow and ice. Consequently, each pod had two soil
temperature sensors in addition to air temperature, humidity, and
light sensors. The 14-pod Sensor Web was deployed over an area
larger than 2 square kilometers and ran from December 21, 2002 to
January 11, 2003, collecting data at 5 minute intervals. This
deployment demonstrating the robustness of the system and its
ability to make valuable in situ measurements. More details of this
research can be found
here.
See a general map
and a detailed map
of the pod locations.
