New weather station boosts Missouri Mesonet in forests

By Blake Jackson

A new weather station has been installed at Echo Bluff State Park in Shannon County, Missouri. This addition expands the Missouri Mesonet, a network of weather stations across the state.

The station’s strategic location within a forested area will provide valuable data on weather conditions in this unique environment.

Zachary Leasor, the state climatologist at the University of Missouri Extension, explained that the Echo Bluff site was chosen to enhance monitoring of weather patterns in forested settings.

Forests create distinct microclimates, and this station will help researchers understand how these conditions differ from open areas.

In addition to standard meteorological measurements, the Echo Bluff station will collect data on soil temperature and moisture at various depths.

This information will shed light on how forest soils respond to wet and dry periods, which is crucial for assessing forest health and predicting hydrological events.

“These measurements will allow us to better understand how forest soil moisture is impacted by periods of wetness and dryness,” says Leasor. “Previous soil moisture monitoring efforts have been primarily focused in agricultural and grassland areas where the dynamics of plant water use and evapotranspiration are different from forests.”

The Missouri Mesonet, in collaboration with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Hydrology Information Center, aims to expand its network of forested monitoring sites.

This will enable researchers to gather more comprehensive data on the impact of weather and climate on forests, particularly in light of increasing threats like droughts, floods, and disease.

The data collected from the Echo Bluff station will contribute to a better understanding of forest ecosystems and support informed decision-making in forestry and water resource management.

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