Field Notes

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Tonzi: 2011-08-09 09:30:00 (DOY 221)
Author: Joe Verfaillie
Others:

Summary: Standard field work. Fixed adjusted zcam programs for sunset refference, Floor computer hung in boot, MD9 connections unstable, tree 4cm co2 probe bad.

Tonzi
2011-08-09

I arrived about 9:30PST. It was clear, sunny and hot. At the ground level there was a sporadic breeze but relatively constant above the canopy. The Tonzi pond is quite a bit lower and the grass is completely dead. I talked to one of the ranchers on the way in the gate. He mentioned that the low hanging wires that run out to the sap flow stations were a danger to the cowboys riding through. I dropped the one to the west station to the ground and I raised the one running to the east station. Most of the one to the north station looked high enough. Still it would be nice to renovate or remove those stations.

I collected data from the Tower computer. One of the sap flow systems is not reporting and another’s data looks corrupt. Otherwise all looks well.

I calibrated the CO2 profile system but it wasn’t far off:
9:33PST
Cell pressure 942mB
Cell temperature 52.6, heater on, filter 0sec
Span setting 1000ppm, path length 5.5cm
Zero: N2 5.0 ultra-High purity 1800psi, offset -1.5ppm
Span: CO2 in air 384.08ppm 1000psi, offset +1.08ppm

I checked on the zcams. The new program installed last time to take photos at times related to sunset did not work. I fixed two bugs in the code. The default pulse port command was too fast so I set the pulse to 100ms. And the delay between on and off pulses was too short so I set it to 14sec. The cameras tested okay.

I added a similar program to the CR200 that controls zcam3. This also tested okay.

I swapped cards and cleaned windows.

I collected the moisture point data with the netbook.

I cleaned the radiometers and swapped the desiccant in the pyranometer.

I put a new funnel on the inlet of the upper CO2 profile inlet.

I collected data from the Floor computer. It was hung up in boot when I turned the screen on and I had some trouble getting it to reboot. But it finally rebooted. It looked like data was missing here and there, but not a huge proportion.

The tram was running.

The soil CO2 system read:
Open 830ppm @ 2cm, 640ppm @ 4cm, 810ppm @ 8cm, 680 @ 16cm
Tree 1940ppm @ 2cm, Error 10,12 @ 4cm, 2210ppm @ 8cm, 4800ppm @ 16cm

The 4cm probe under the tree is having a problem.

The wells were: Floor 20.5ft (6.25m), Road 29.85ft (9.10m), Hill 25.6ft (7.80m)
As measured from the black thing.

The solar systems were
Tower: 13.0V, 6.1A load, >0.75V below bulk – Batteries seem a little low but visually look good
Floor: 13.8V, 15.4A solar, 2.0A load – solar seems high, batteries may be weak.
Tram: 28.0V, 0.5A solar, 0.0A load
Soil CO2: 28.5V, 2.7A solar, 0.2A load

Field Data

No tank data

No TZ Well data found

No TZ Moisture Point data found

No VR Moisture Point data found

No TZ grass heigth found

No VR grass heigth found

No TZ Tree DBH found

No water potential data found

No TZ Grass Biomass data found

No TZ OakLeaves Biomass data found

No TZ PineNeedles Biomass data found