Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Wednesday - 06/30/10

  • Georeferencing traverse sites in the rain today. Finished two points. Each point takes about 2-3 hours and gives a final spatial accuracy of <10 cm standard deviation in X and Y dimensions, and < 25 cm in the Z dimension. Post-processing takes place 24 hours following data collection.

image

Traverse 4 GPS setup.

image

Traverse 3 GPS setup.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Tuesday 06/29/2010

  • First day conducting final differential georeferencing in the field with new methods and tools. A bit rainy and cold, but otherwise a good day.

image

Step 1. Set up tripod over stake. Use plumb bob and bubble levels on tripod to make sure it is directly vertically over the stake.

image  View from above. See bolt and nuts used to modify a standard camera tripod for static GPS measurements.

image

Step 2. Mount GPS antenna on tripod.

image

Step 3. Measure vertical height from base of antenna (phase center model adjusts for actual vertical distance) to the ground. Input this value into the GPS configuration file.

 

image

Step 4. Run GPS for 1-3 hours per location collecting differential data every 5 seconds. Back at home run post-processing using base station data collected from Mauna Kea.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Monday 06/28/2010

  • Finished the GPS antenna tripod! See below versions 1, which did not allow for exact spatial geolocation of the antenna phase center versus version 2 which is perfect!

 

image

Version 1 above.

image

Version 2 above. Perfect! We drove to Hilo and got the 5/8” bolt and nuts to make it fit to a standard ultra light and portable camera tripod. The protocol is complete, with only a 24 hour wait prior to base station data downloading from Mauna Kea base station for final differential data calculations.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Friday – 06/26/2010

  • All interior forest microclimate sensors installed and running for the first time! yes, following 1.5 years of logistics, permits, developing protocols, methods, etc… great news!
  • Laser system is getting repaired and should be back by Wednesday.
  • The GPS system is fixed and running good, ready for georeferencing starting on Monday.

 

image

Final wiring moment.

image

Final weatherproof setup wired correctly and running good.

 

image

lowest sensor station.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Thursday 06/24/2010

Good day. Finally got all the sensors placed wired and hanging, then wired up the datalogger and the computer wouldn’t connect. an unknown error. i tried to error check in the car and it seemed to connect fine. tomorrow we will return to diagnosis if one of the wind sensors is perhaps shorting out the logger connection….

 

Returning home I was testing the Trupulse laser and it wouldn’t work either! arg…following an hour of frustration I placed it in a zip lock bag with a desiccant , after 4 hours it was working fine again! scary. guess the humidity even here in the dry season is too much for some electronics?

image

Angelica working hard to do the ground connecting while I was arranging the hanging mechanisms from 70 feet up.

 

image

sensors hanging, view from about 50 feet up.

image

the insanity of trying to wire 4 climate stations with an imminent rain storm approaching.

image

the weatherproof system we devised, including a great rechargeable eva-dry desiccant.

image

After all that, we had to unwire it and bring it back to the car (and then home) for more trouble shooting….

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Wednesday 06/23/2010

  • 2 of 4 interior forest micro-climate stations installed for the first time! yeah!

image

The wind sensors boxed for carrying to the field site.

image

Angelica getting the PAR and temp/rH sensor array out of their boxes.

image

One of the four systems connected and suspended from a branch about 80 feet off the ground. this was set up earlier in the morning by climbing up and locating a good branch notch.

image

Sensor hanging up in the mid canopy zone.

 

Tomorrow will hang the remaining two sensors, hook up the CR-10x datalogger and have the entire system up and running for the first time.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Tuesday 06/22/2010

  • Top of canopy sensors installed and running
  • Tomorrow installing interior forest microclimate sensors for the first time, yeah!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Monday 06/21/2010

 

Completed the weatherproof ruggedized LiCOR6400 backpack. Necessary to transport it safely into the more remote forest plots.IMG_3990

 

All data loggers are checked, programming complete and running. Going to get the top of canopy sensors running this afternoon.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Thursday 06/17/2010

Final field prep prior to starting on Monday!

TO DO:

  • Final step by step instructions for Hawaii methods,
    1. Geolocation (Trupulse 360)
    2. Interior microclimate – CR-10x
    3. Top of canopy – CR-200
    4. LiCOR 6400
    5. Foliar properties
  • Check Trupulse 360 (geolocation laser) battery level,
  • Mount reflectors on micro-climate sensors,
  • Practice wiring PAR and windspeed interior sensors to CR-10x and photograph for easy assembly in the field,
  • Replace desiccant packages in interior forest HOBO sensors,
  • Check weather-proof storage boxes and desiccant for interior forest and top-of-canopy dataloggers,
  • VerifyCR-200 dataloggers are functioning good,
  • Verify code for CR-200 TOC sensors,
  • LEICA differential GPS methods – review and refine as necessary,
  • Write up NSF DDIG final report and submit,
  • Design LiCOR 6400 system to carry in field. A Lucy Army backpack frame with net combined with weatherproof storage box is the concept.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Tuesday 06/15/2010

  • LiCOR protocol complete – light curves and induction rates.
  • Designing a backpack to carry LiCOR in the field.
  • Getting a larger battery supply for extended field data collection. Built off a lawn tractor battery and a dismantled LiCOR battery.
  • Finishing construction of leaf oven drier and testing.
  • Ordered backup batteries for HOBO data loggers and recharging desiccant packages prior to deployment.
  • CR-10x code complete to include both minute windspeed and PAR data as well as sunfleck data (every 2 seconds) once every hour. Data storage requirements were adjusted and will work for 2 week intervals.
  • Received permit to enter field yesterday (after 2 months waiting!).

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Saturday 06/05/2010

  • Finalizing LiCOR light curve and sunfleck protocols for shade environments.
  • Writing methods proposal for committee prior to final field work data collection.
  • Still waiting for permit to be renewed, hopefully beginning of next week!
  • image

image

image

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

June 2nd 2010 - Wednesday

  • Refining approach and literature review for Bolivia chapter.
  • Finalizing literature review for Hawaii chapter.

 

Both literature review citation lists are now available online at:

 

http://www.mendeley.com/research-papers/collections/2779911/1-Chapter-3-Bolivia-Forest-Succession/

 

and

 

http://www.mendeley.com/research-papers/collections/2784451/2-Chapter-4-Hawaii-Forest-Structure/

 

Major changes to the Hawaii methods and data analysis are in the works to enable finishing data collection and modeling on schedule.