Far North Queensland Microclimate Monitoring Across Elevation Gradient

Aggregating long-term microclimate monitoring data from five tropical rainforest sites in Far North Queensland, spanning an elevation range of 40 to 1550 meters. Parameters include air temperature, near-surface temperature, soil temperature, and soil moisture, recorded every 15 minutes using TMS-4 sensors. The project is ongoing and managed by the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network's Data Discovery.

Use Cases

• Analyze soil moisture and soil temperature relationships across the 40-1550 m elevation gradient to model hydrological processes.
• Study diurnal and seasonal patterns in near-surface temperature and air temperature to understand microclimate variability in tropical rainforests.
• Correlate microclimate parameters like soil temperature with elevation data from specific sites (e.g., Mt. Bellenden Ker, Rex Range) for ecological niche modeling.
• Use the 15-minute interval time-series data of air temperature and soil moisture to validate or calibrate fine-scale climate models.

Strengths

• Data is recorded at a high temporal resolution of every 15 minutes, enabling fine-scale time-series analysis.
• Covers five distinct tropical rainforest sites providing spatial diversity for comparative studies.
• Spans a significant elevation gradient from 40 to 1550 meters above sea level, capturing altitudinal climate variation.
• Includes multiple related microclimate parameters (air temperature, near-surface temperature, soil temperature, soil moisture) for integrated environmental analysis.

Limitations

• The specific number of data rows, columns, and total dataset size is unknown, making it difficult to assess computational requirements.
• Data collection relies on a specific sensor model (TMS-4), which may introduce instrument-specific biases or require calibration knowledge.
• The 'notspecified' license status creates uncertainty regarding permissible commercial or redistribution use.

Provenance

Source

Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network's Data Discovery

Collection Method

Data are recorded every 15 minutes using TMS-4 sensors (Temperature Moisture Sensor, T.M.O.S.T s.r.o, Prague, Czech Republic).

Time Range

Ongoing long-term monitoring project; specific start date is unknown.

Freshness

The dataset was last updated on 2026-03-20, indicating it is actively maintained with recent data.

Geography

Five sites in Far North Queensland, Australia: Daintree Rainforest SuperSite (Cape Tribulation and Cow Bay), Rex Range, Mt. Lewis National Park, and Mt. Bellenden Ker.