Field and Forest Microclimate Conditions at Hanley Biological Preserve

Microclimates are small-scale atmospheric zones where the climate conditions such as temperature and precipitation vary from the surrounding area. To investigate microclimates in a field and forest landscape, weather instruments were situated at Hanley Biological Preserve in Seneca County, N.Y. The weather instruments recorded data on temperature, dewpoint temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. These instruments were deployed in field, ecotone, and forest locations from 6 September to 13 November 2012. Specific events such as Hurricane Sandy were also examined to observe how microclimates are impacted by large-scale significant weather systems. Each location (field, ecotone and forest) had distinct atmospheric conditions. Results demonstrate that solar radiation and forest canopy coverage had large impacts to microclimate processes. This poster will present variations of microclimate conditions at open field, transitional ecotone, and adjacent deciduous forest sites for a 9-week autumn time period.