Sapelo Research Application Form
Research Application ID: GCE-115-2021 (submitted: 07/20/2021, status: approved)
Provide a brief title for web display
AWeSOM Sense: developing a wetland soil organic carbon sensor
Investigator Information
On Island Sponsor: GCE SINERR UGAMI GADNR
| Principal Investigator: | Lori Sutter | ||
| Home Institution: | University of North Carolina - Wilmington | ||
| Award Information: | NSF SitS for remote detection of soil carbon, $1.3M | ||
| Mailing Address: | Phone Number: | ||
| E-mail Address: | sutterl@uncw.edu | ||
| Co-investigators: | Deepak Mishra (University of Georgia) | ||
Briefly describe the project goals and methodology
A method that enables data to be continuously transferred through existing cellular and WI-FI networks without humans having to visit the sensors allows automated monitoring of salt marsh soil carbon. All of that data can be input into computer models to make predictions that can eventually be translated across large geographical footprints. The team intends to create techniques to (1) perform a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness and reliability of various, low-cost, soil carbon sensors placed in the field to collect and transmit soil carbon data; (2) build a computing and data transmission architecture that allows data ranging from field sensors to drones to satellite images to be stored and analyzed in new ways that optimize where sensors are placed in the field and then seamlessly integrates all of those data through intelligent collaboration between state-of-the-art computer technology (e.g. cloud and edge computing infrastructures); and (3) develop computer models that can find trends in those large data sets that humans cannot necessarily see to predict both near-surface and deeper soil carbon content for salt marsh ecosystems across coastal GA.
During site visits, various sensed data will be collected on a small point of marsh. In 4-5 locations within each general marsh area, a 2m core of 3" diameter will be removed using a vibracore.
Where will the project be located?
Airport Marsh Dean's Creek (avoiding current disturbance polygons) Flux tower area (avoiding footprint & nearby research) Mishra supplied GCE polygons to work around
How will you provide GPS coordinates for study sites?
I will provide a GIS file describing my study sites (ArcGIS shapefile, Google Earth KML/KMZ)
What are the expected start and end dates of the project?
Start Date: 07/31/2021 End Date: 12/31/2022
How many people will access the site and at what frequency?
10 people Aug 1-4. A subset in a later period after methodology is tested. At that time, we will submit an amendment to deploy 10-20 sensor platforms for a limited period.
Keywords that describe your project
What equipment will be deployed in the field?
For August 2021, a suite of sensors on a pvc frame will be deployed in Airport Marsh and removed prior to our departure.
In addition, a grid will be laid out the evening before each visit to the three areas and some plots marked with 1/2" pvc. That will all be removed the next morning.
The remaining work is extracting 10-12 soil cores via vibracore with the USDA NRSC aqueous soil mapping unit who will provide boat access to some sites to minimize foot traffic
Will plants or animals be collected as part of this study?
no
What are the likely impacts of the project on the site?
core removal and foot traffic
Will the project design include boardwalks? If not, explain why not.
no. Infrequent sampling visits, so a boardwalk would likely create a bigger impact
How long will impacts persist after the research is concluded?
The soil cores are 3-inch diameter and will likely fill quickly
