MIRRA: Microclimate Real-time Remote Applications

Introduction

Climate change, and its impacts on ecological, agricultural, and other societal systems, is often studied by relying on temperature data derived from official weather stations. Yet, these data do not capture microclimates, influenced by vegetation, soil, and topography, operating at spatial scales relevant to the majority of organisms on Earth.

Need for Better Data

Detecting and attributing climate-change impacts with confidence and certainty will only be possible if we better quantify how temperatures are changing in forests, mountains, shrublands, and other remote habitats. Policy makers and land managers urgently need open access to more microclimate data.

Project Overview

Here, we develop an open access, integrative Microclimate Real-time Remote Applications (MIRRA) instrument with an associated authoritative, online database to solve this problem. There is an urgent need for a novel, miniature, and simple self-assembly open access device with free online data access.

Objectives of MIRRA

The overarching aim of MIRRA is to develop a miniature and simple self-assembly instrument for:

1. Instantaneous measurements of microclimate
2. Long-term monitoring
3. Remote measurements with optimized power usage and data transfer via cellular connectivity

All data will become automatically available to everybody online, and MIRRA will thus substantially increase the availability of open access real-time microclimate data from all over the world.

Implementation

As a proof-of-concept showcase, and building on ERC StG FORMICA, we will install the MIRRA system in 45 forests spread across Europe.

Future Implications

With the dawn of such novel sensor technology for the long-term, low-cost, real-time, and remote sensing of microclimates, we lay the foundation and open a wide range of possibilities to map microclimates in different ecosystems, feeding a next generation of models. This system will serve a multitude of societal needs, now and into the future as climate change accelerates.