Federal Scientific Center of Agroecology of RAS (Volgograd) will use Tomsk digital weather stations for environmental monitoring

Six modern digital weather stations, developed and manufactured by scientists from the Tomsk scientific center of SB RAS in collaboration with colleagues from the Institute of Monitoring of climatic and ecological systems of SB RAS were delivered to the Federal Scientific Center of Agroecology of RAS in Volgograd.

The equipment to be used at the sites of the Federal Scientific Center and the carbon polygon includes meteorological stations and agrometeorological probes, which even under the most difficult weather conditions constantly monitor all basic atmospheric and soil parameters. Each weather station is equipped with a unit (“brain”) for continuous collection and transmission of all recorded meteorological parameters via digital networks to a remote server for weather forecasting.

– Calculation software is a kind of “digital assistants” for people with special algorithms that indicate the high probability of various events, – says Aleksandr Myagkov, Assistant Director (TSC SB RAS). – In agriculture, such digital assistants can be used to determine the time for sowing, planting cultivation, fertilizing the soil, and preparing for harvesting. Digital assistants are especially important for such a weather-dependent industry, since they help make accurate, calibrated decisions and increase crop yields.

Digital agrometeorological networks have been successfully developing for more than three years in the Tomsk region. They cover more than 35 thousand square kilometers in seven districts of the region. Using such equipment, the farms of Belostok Co. obtained a record harvest of crops, and the costs were paid back many times over.

Aleksandr Koshelev, head of the Laboratory of Agrotechnologies and Farming Systems in Agroforest Landscapes of the Federal Scientific Center of Agroecology of RAS, explained that Volgograd scientists plan to use Tomsk digital weather stations at the six polygons as part of the unified national climate monitoring system within the project "Carbon in Ecosystems: Monitoring" supported by the Russian government.

The equipment will continuously measure meteorological characteristics necessary for assessing the carbon balance and sequestration potential of agroforest landscapes in the arid south of Russia in the context of climate change.

– The work to be done is large-scale and interesting from a scientific point of view, – says Alexander Valentinovich. – Using modern high-tech equipment, we will evaluate the contribution of protective forest plantations located on agricultural land to the carbon balance of our country’s ecosystems.