Descrizione del progetto
Innovativo dispositivo per le misurazioni microclimatiche
I danni e i conseguenti impatti finanziari ed ecologici derivanti dai cambiamenti climatici hanno spinto ad aumentare gli sforzi per monitorare e valutare le condizioni climatiche e le temperature. Le stazioni meteorologiche ufficiali tendono però a concentrarsi maggiormente sui sistemi climatici su scala più ampia, ignorando l’importanza dei microclimi. Il progetto MIRRA, finanziato dal Consiglio europeo della ricerca, si propone di sviluppare uno strumento innovativo per misurazioni microclimatiche efficienti, istantanee, a lungo termine e a distanza. Il dispositivo consentirà anche un efficiente trasferimento di dati attraverso la connettività cellulare, fornendo un accesso aperto in tempo reale agli utenti di tutto il mondo. In questo modo si potrà migliorare il processo decisionale per i responsabili delle politiche relative ai microclimi critici.
Obiettivo
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. 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.
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.
The overarching aim of MIRRA is to develop a miniature and simple self-assembly instrument for instantaneous, long-term and remote measurements of microclimate with optimized power usage and data transfer via cellular connectivity. All data 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. As a proof-of-concept showcase, and building on ERC StG FORMICA, we will install the MIRRA system in 45 forests spread across Europe.
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.
Campo scientifico
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabases
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringremote sensing
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiodiversity conservation
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept GrantsIstituzione ospitante
9000 Gent
Belgio