Meteorology and Hydrology in Yosemite National Park: A Sensor Network Application

Over half of California’s water supply comes from high elevations in the snowmelt-dominated Sierra Nevada. Natural climate fluctuations, global warming, and the growing needs of water consumers demand intelligent management of this water resource. This requires a comprehensive monitoring system across and within the Sierra Nevada. Unfortunately, because of severe terrain and limited access, few measurements exist. Thus, meteorological and hydrologic processes are not well understood at high altitudes. However, new sensor and wireless communication technologies are beginning to provide sensor packages designed for low maintenance operation, low power consumption and unobtrusive footprints. A prototype network of meteorological and hydrological sensors has been deployed in Yosemite National Park, traversing elevation zones from 1,200 to 3,700 m. Communication techniques must be tailored to suit each location, resulting in a hybrid network of radio, cell-phone, land-line, and satellite transmissions. Results are showing how, in some years, snowmelt may occur quite uniformly over the Sierra, while in others it varies with elevation.

Authors and Affiliations

1. Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), UCSD MC-0213, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92039

   Jessica D. Lundquist, Daniel R. Cayan & Michael D. Dettinger

2. United States Geological Survey, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92039

   Daniel R. Cayan & Michael D. Dettinger

Editors and Affiliations

1. Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA

   Feng Zhao

2. Computer Science Department, Stanford University, Gates Building 374, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

   Leonidas Guibas

Reprints and permissions

© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Policies and ethics