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Environment stories that motivate our work

Case Studies

3-minute read

Making renewable energy possible in Germany

In soil with unfavorable thermal properties that does not allow excess heat to be drawn away properly, buried cables have higher power dissipation and, in the worst cases, can melt underground cables.

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Case Studies

5-minute read

Leaf wetness sensor data improve cherry production

Fresh market cherries growers try to do everything that they can to stop any fruit cracking or splitting, including flying helicopters over orchards to dry the fruit after rains.

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All Articles

10 years of weather network building in Africa

In 2014, the Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO) grew from a need for easily accessible weather and climate data. Ten years later, TAHMO's members commemorated all that the organization had accomplished.

Oklahoma switchgrass: How deeper root systems affect groundwater recharge and the water cycle

Government incentives are sometimes provided to convert marginal lands to switchgrass, but New Mexico Tech researcher Michael Wine wanted to investigate whether switchgrass’s deeper root systems would affect the water cycle both during and after crop establishment.

Can wastewater save the United Arab Emirates’ groundwater?

To preserve groundwater and improve irrigation in desert forests, Dr. Wafa Al Yamani studied the impact of using wastewater effluent along motorways.

Low impact design: Sensors validate California groundwater resource management

Read about Dr. Michelle Newcomer's research into the impact of low impact design structures on infiltration and groundwater recharge in California.

Does early planting increase risk to winter canola?

Washington State University researcher Megan Reese used moisture release curve data to find that planting earlier does not establish a stronger plant—and it may create additional risks.

Making renewable energy possible in Germany

In soil with unfavorable thermal properties that does not allow excess heat to be drawn away properly, buried cables have higher power dissipation and, in the worst cases, can melt underground cables.

SATURO Adopted as a Standard Method by USDA Soil Scientists

The SATURO infiltrometer combines automation and simplified data analysis, and it’s less prone to error than other methods. For these reasons, the USDA National Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) Soil Survey Team and the Soil Health Institute have both adopted the SATURO as the standard method of measuring saturated hydraulic conductivity and the Soil Health Institute considers it a tier 1 indicator for soil health assessments.

Are biodegradable mulches actually better for the environment?

Researchers investigate whether biodegradable mulches leach fewer contaminants into groundwater and lead to better soil health.

Leaf wetness sensor data improve cherry production

Fresh market cherries growers try to do everything that they can to stop any fruit cracking or splitting, including flying helicopters over orchards to dry the fruit after rains.

Designing instruments to make field and laboratory research easier

How we understand the world drives the choices we make, and that understanding is shaped, in part, by the instruments we use to gather data about the world. METER scientists design instruments and tools to simplify data collection, so you can spend more time in the adventure of science.

Piñon Pine: Studying the effects of climate change on drought tolerance

Henry Adams, a PhD student at the University of Arizona, is studying the effect of climate change and drought on Piñon Pines.

Using soil water sensors for efficient irrigation in greenhouses

Manual irrigation is labor-intensive and repetitive, so it is one of the first greenhouse tasks that should be automated.

LP-80—A different approach to stream restoration

University of Idaho graduate student, Adrianne Zuckerman, is taking a different approach to stream restoration.

The staggering cost of Montana’s flash drought

The 2017 flash drought that parched the entire state of Montana and most of South Dakota, severely impacted the profitability of ranchers and farmers. In western Montana, fires burned some of the largest acreages in recent history.

Soil science in outer space

In 2007, METER scientists developed a Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe (TECP) probe for NASA’s Phoenix Scout Mission, which landed on Mars May 25, 2008. The solar-powered lander collected data for five months until the sunlight waned, ice took over, and communication ceased.

TAHMO—Weather stations for Africa

The Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO) initiative seeks to install and operate 20,000 weather stations in sub-Saharan Africa.

Feed the world

As water resource management grows more complex, the cost of water increases and humanity’s food consumption soars to an all-time high, optimizing crop yields through efficient irrigation is becoming crucial.

Perfecting turfgrass

Researchers are developing plants and management practices that help sports turf stand up to frequent use and perform well even during fall months.

Ecotron Hasselt

Twelve tailor-made lysimeters help researchers uncover answers today that will help us better respond to changing environmental conditions tomorrow.

Living on the brink: Wasatch Plateau

Climate change models predict earlier snowmelt and rainstorms that will be less frequent and more intense. What does this mean for the Utah Wasatch Plateau?

Fukushima reborn

Near the Fukushima disaster site, scientists and citizens work tirelessly to clean radiation from affected farmland soils. Each weekend, they travel to a small village near Fukushima and labor to rehabilitate the land.