A Synoptic System for Capturing Ecosystem Control Points Across Terrestrial‐Aquatic Interfaces

Journal Article · Thu Oct 23 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JG009335· OSTI ID:2999891

Ward, Nicholas D. ^[1]; Megonigal, James Patrick ^[2]; Weintraub, Michael N. ^[3]; Regier, Peter J. ^[1]; Pennington, Stephanie C. ^[1]; Peixoto, Roberta Bittencourt ^[4]; Bond‐Lamberty, Ben ^[1]; Chen, Xingyuan ^[1]; Doro, Kennedy O. ^[4]; Kemner, Kenneth M. ^[5]; Machado‐Silva, Fausto ^[4]; McDowell, Nate G. ^[1]; Myers‐Pigg, Allison N. ^[3]; Sandoval, Leticia ^[4]; Patel, Kaizad F. ^[1]; Thornton, Peter E. ^[6]; Wilson, Stephanie J. ^[2]; Bailey, Vanessa L. ^[3]; Rich, Roy L. ^[2]

---

1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
2. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD (United States)
3. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Univ. of Toledo, OH (United States)
4. Univ. of Toledo, OH (United States)
5. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
6. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Interconnected landscape features such as terrestrial‐aquatic interfaces play an outsized role in biogeochemical cycles as ecosystem control points, but it is notoriously challenging to characterize these. Here, we document a synoptic sensor network design that is (a) flexible to accommodate diverse ecosystem interfaces and gradients, (b) adaptable to monitoring and modeling needs of small and large projects alike, (c) standardized for intercomparability across sites and field experiments, and (d) adequately replicated to capture heterogeneity of each parameter monitored. This real‐time monitoring of surface water, groundwater, soil, and vegetation supports configuration and evaluation of models that span upland, wetland, open water strata, and transitions between them. We established the network at seven sites along the Chesapeake Bay and Lake Erie coastlines, including large‐scale flood manipulation experiments in both regions. A central design element is “one data logger program to rule them all”—a collection of sensor‐specific modules deployed on 40 loggers controlling ∼2,000 sensors, with the goal of streamlining maintenance, debugging, and reproducible data processing. The network generates ∼6 M observations per month, capturing system dynamics at the broad spatial and fine temporal scales needed to initialize and benchmark models; measurement frequency can be modified remotely to capture events. This network design has also revealed behaviors not represented in Earth system models, such as transient groundwater oxygen pulses. Completely documented and open source, this standardized, flexible, and efficient sensor network design can reduce barriers to understanding environmental changes and ecosystem responses across systems and scales.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Earth & Environmental Systems Science (EESS)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 2999891
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA--205991
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 130; ISSN 2169-8953; ISSN 2169-8961
• Publisher: American Geophysical Union
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English