Unlike other parts of the site where generic information that can be applied to doing research elsewhere, this section is specific to students working in at Western Carolina University or locations with similar available equipment. This section provides an inventory of equipment available at WCHRS and how it can be used to answer some hydrologic questions. Locations of in-field sensors and loggers can be mapped at wchrsmap.wcu.edu.
| Monitoring Equipment | Purpose | What is it? |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Gage | Show timing and amount of stream flow; This may be a site where we sample water. | Pressure sensor that continuously measures depth of water in channel; staff gage measures the depth of water visually (for calibration) |
| Hillslope moisture array | Show the transfer of moisture vertically as it moves deeper into the soil. Looking at 3 different locations indicates how slope positions respond differentially to rainfall and drying. They can also indicate how moisture moves downslope. | 3 sensors installed at different depths at three different points along the slope; all less than 1 meter; usually installed into a face and backfilled. |
| Rain/weather station | Rain gage measures inputs and timing of rainfall as well as rainfall intensities. We also measure solar radiation, soil moisture, temperature and relative humidity at Gribble Gap | Rain gage and meterological instruments are on a post. Soil moisture sensors are installed at different depths in the soil within the Gribble Gap clearing |
| Ground water wells (already approved as part of DENR agreement) | Wells are used to determine flow directions, measure how easily water flows in the subsurface, and calculate storage | Four well arrays (each array has at least 3 wells all open at different depths). |
| Lysimeter | Sample water moving down into the soil to quantify volume and water quality | Basically a vacuum that pulls water through ceramic filters into sample bottles. The sampling points are put below the root zone to measure the amount of water that is rainfall - evaporation. |
Information for specific equipment or methods can be found below.
Bulk Density and Soil Moisture
Analyzing Rainfall Runoff Relationships