Microclimate stations

Locations of the microclimate stations network, covering an altitudinal range from 1300 to 2300 m.a.s.l. To characterise microclimates in the Sierra Nevada mountain ecosystems (SE Spain), we have developed a monitoring program based on sensor networks (data loggers) installed in different habitats (oak forest, pine plantation and high-mountain scrub) and microhabitats: open areas (control clearings) or biogenic refuges (i.e. under leaf litter in Pyrenean oak forest, under canopy in Scots pine plantation, etc.). A complete description of the method can be found in: https://doi.org/10.7818/ECOS.2166 (a description of all devices installed in each microclimate station is provided in Figure 2).
The sensors measure the following variables every 30 minutes:
- Air temperature and relative air humidity (80-100 cm)
- Soil moisture and soil temperature (40 cm)
- Ground surface temperature (on bare soil)
- Ground surface temperature (under leaf litter, under scrub or under stone)