Stream monitoring system installed in Abernathy Field

Abernathy Field

A NexSens real-time weather station and stream monitoring system was recently installed at the Abernathy Field Station (AFS) near Washington & Jefferson College. This system will enhance the classroom learning experience and provide background data for environmental researchers.

The AFS is a diverse outdoor classroom that encompasses many different ecosystems, including mixed deciduous forest, a stand of conifers, several spring seeps, two larger perennial streams, a wetland, and a mowed field.

At a stream site along Jefferson Run, researchers installed a YSI 600LS Sonde to collect temperature, conductivity, and stream level data and send it to a Radio iSIC Data Logger.

Nearby, a Vaisala WXT510 weather transmitter collects weather data and sends it a Radio-Phone Data Logger. All environmental data is then transmitted via landline phone to a computer running iChart software at the college's Biology Department. Using the WQData web hosting service, all data is made available in real-time on the Biology Department website.

With this new system in place, the AFS allows both faculty and students to study the structure and function of the ecosystems through both coursework and independent research projects.

For more information on the latest in environmental data logging and software technology, contact Paul Nieberding at 937.426.2703.