Large Area Distributed Real Time Soil (DiRTS) Monitoring
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Sch of Geography, Earth & Env Sciences
Abstract
Advancing our understanding of the soil ecosystem, especially the dynamics of nitrogen species, is critical for improving soil fertility, increasing crop productivity, managing greenhouse gas fluxes, and protecting environmental quality. This project presents convergent research to develop the next generation, integrated sensing system for large area, in situ, high resolution spatio-temporal monitoring of dynamic nitrogen species, specifically ammonium and nitrate, as well as soil moisture, potassium and salinity. The wireless Distributed Real Time Soil (DiRTS) monitoring network is comprised of (1) soil-penetrable sensor motes with advanced microfluidics mimicking plant root-like water intake, (2) robust electrochemical sensors for ammonium, nitrate, potassium and salinity utilizing ultra-low power circuit architectures for readout and digitization, (3) long range wireless data communication using emerging standards, and (4) advanced algorithms for geospatial mapping of soil mineral nitrogen, potassium, salinity and moisture. The platform will address fundamental weaknesses in our understanding and control of nitrogen species in both unmanaged (e.g. forest) and managed (e.g. agriculture) soils. Beyond the technical impact, the proposed research effort will offer educational and training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students through innovative curriculum and for farmers and other soil management practitioners through publicly available training modules on design and deployment of the wireless Distributed Real Time Soil (DiRTS) monitoring platform.
The DiRTS platform will make several notable scientific contributions: (1) Continuous capillary-driven sampling of the target soil nutrients mimicking the natural water intake by roots and transpiration through aboveground plant parts; (2) Ion sensitive electrodes utilizing embedded desalination to improve selectivity, and utilizing redundancy and Bayesian calibration to improve sensitivity; (3) Circuits for readout and digitization operating below 0.5V power supply and nanowatt level power dissipation; (4) Event-driven sampling and wireless communication using probabilistic sensor scheduling based on available power and data importance; and (5) State of the art statistical machine learning based approaches for generating high resolution spatio-temporal chemical maps from irregularly sampled data. All technology will be validated using actual, in-situ measurements of the target variable using the sensing mote and DET/DGT sensors in an experimental forest-BIFoR-FACE of the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research. Following validation, the sensing mote will then be fitted inside greenhouse gas auto-chambers in the FACE facility for concomittant sensing of dynamic nitrogen species and N2O fluxes to be monitored using a PICARO greenhouse gas analyzer and mapped using DiRTS sensor network. This proposal brings together experts in engineering, biogeosciences and chemistry from the US and UK, with strong backgrounds and expertise in relevant areas of sensing, electronics, microfluidics, biogeochemistry, soil science, signal processing and sensor networks, for successful execution of this project.
The DiRTS platform will make several notable scientific contributions: (1) Continuous capillary-driven sampling of the target soil nutrients mimicking the natural water intake by roots and transpiration through aboveground plant parts; (2) Ion sensitive electrodes utilizing embedded desalination to improve selectivity, and utilizing redundancy and Bayesian calibration to improve sensitivity; (3) Circuits for readout and digitization operating below 0.5V power supply and nanowatt level power dissipation; (4) Event-driven sampling and wireless communication using probabilistic sensor scheduling based on available power and data importance; and (5) State of the art statistical machine learning based approaches for generating high resolution spatio-temporal chemical maps from irregularly sampled data. All technology will be validated using actual, in-situ measurements of the target variable using the sensing mote and DET/DGT sensors in an experimental forest-BIFoR-FACE of the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research. Following validation, the sensing mote will then be fitted inside greenhouse gas auto-chambers in the FACE facility for concomittant sensing of dynamic nitrogen species and N2O fluxes to be monitored using a PICARO greenhouse gas analyzer and mapped using DiRTS sensor network. This proposal brings together experts in engineering, biogeosciences and chemistry from the US and UK, with strong backgrounds and expertise in relevant areas of sensing, electronics, microfluidics, biogeochemistry, soil science, signal processing and sensor networks, for successful execution of this project.
Planned Impact
Overview:
Motivated by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) grand challenge of "Managing the Nitrogen cycle", and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) call for "Breakthroughs in Field Deployable Sensors for Advancing Food and Agricultural Research", this project presents a convergent research to develop the next generation, integrated sensing system for large area in situ spatio-temporal monitoring of both dynamic nitrogen species, specifically ammonium and nitrate, as well as soil moisture, potasiums and salinity. Towards this goal, we propose a distributed wireless network of soil-penetrable sensor motes with advances in microfluidics that mimics plant-like water intake, robust sensors for NH4, NO3, K, moisture and salinity, ultra low power circuit architectures for readout and digitization, long range wireless communication using emerging standards, and advanced algorithms for geospatial mapping. The platform will address the fundamental weakness in our understanding and management of nitrogen species in un-managed (e.g. forest) and managed (e.g. agriculture) soils.
Intellectual Merit:
The proposed wireless Distributed Real Time Soil (DiRTS) monitoring platform makes several notable
intellectual contributions: (1) Continuous sampling of soil nutrients mimicing the natural water
intake by roots and transpiration by plants using the capillary (wicking) effect in multi-filament threads and evaporation (2) Ion sensitive electrodes utilizing redundancy and Bayesian calibration for enhanced sensitivity; embedded desalination to improve selectivity for ammonium and nitrate (3) Sub-0.5V circuits for readout and digitization consuming nanowatt level power (4) Event-driven sampling and wireless communication using probabilistic sensor scheduling based on available power and data importance; (5) Sparsity-based and stochastic gradient descent based approaches generating high resolution spatiotemporal chemical maps from irregularly sampled data and (5) All technology validated using actual, in situ measurements in an experimental forest (BiFOR-FACE, UK), with soil science investigation quantifying N2O fluxes to be monitored and mapped using DiRTS sensor network. This proposal brings together experts in engineering, geosciences and chemistry with a strong background in relevant areas of sensing, electronics, microfluidics, biogeochemistry, signal processing and sensor networks, needed for successful completion of this project.
Broader Impacts:
Empowered by the proposed DiRTS monitoring platform, the new and improved understanding of the complex dynamic nitrogen transformational processes in soil will have broad applicability for agricultural and environmental monitoring and management. The system will help optimize fertilizer treatment thereby saving costs while improving food security and reducing contamination of soil and water sources from fertilizer run-off. Sensors for ammonium, nitrates, salinity and moisture, with ultra low power circuits will have broad applicability for wearable health monitoring, point of care diagnostics, and food water and air quality monitoring. Advanced geospatial mapping algorithms will be useful in processing data from a wealth of sources such as satellite data for weather and agriculture. There are opportunities for licensing and commercialization through the Tech Transfer offices at the participating universities.
Beyond technical impact, proposed research will offer educational and outreach opportunities
through (1) interdisciplinary two-term course development for undergraduate and graduate students on internet of things (2) Training modules on the design and deployment of the DiRTS monitoring platform available to practitioners and (3) diversity outreach through mentoring enable via successful established programs such as Leadership Alliance, Bridging Engineers for Success at Tufts, and Access to Birmingham Uni outreach activity at BiFOR-FACE.
Motivated by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) grand challenge of "Managing the Nitrogen cycle", and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) call for "Breakthroughs in Field Deployable Sensors for Advancing Food and Agricultural Research", this project presents a convergent research to develop the next generation, integrated sensing system for large area in situ spatio-temporal monitoring of both dynamic nitrogen species, specifically ammonium and nitrate, as well as soil moisture, potasiums and salinity. Towards this goal, we propose a distributed wireless network of soil-penetrable sensor motes with advances in microfluidics that mimics plant-like water intake, robust sensors for NH4, NO3, K, moisture and salinity, ultra low power circuit architectures for readout and digitization, long range wireless communication using emerging standards, and advanced algorithms for geospatial mapping. The platform will address the fundamental weakness in our understanding and management of nitrogen species in un-managed (e.g. forest) and managed (e.g. agriculture) soils.
Intellectual Merit:
The proposed wireless Distributed Real Time Soil (DiRTS) monitoring platform makes several notable
intellectual contributions: (1) Continuous sampling of soil nutrients mimicing the natural water
intake by roots and transpiration by plants using the capillary (wicking) effect in multi-filament threads and evaporation (2) Ion sensitive electrodes utilizing redundancy and Bayesian calibration for enhanced sensitivity; embedded desalination to improve selectivity for ammonium and nitrate (3) Sub-0.5V circuits for readout and digitization consuming nanowatt level power (4) Event-driven sampling and wireless communication using probabilistic sensor scheduling based on available power and data importance; (5) Sparsity-based and stochastic gradient descent based approaches generating high resolution spatiotemporal chemical maps from irregularly sampled data and (5) All technology validated using actual, in situ measurements in an experimental forest (BiFOR-FACE, UK), with soil science investigation quantifying N2O fluxes to be monitored and mapped using DiRTS sensor network. This proposal brings together experts in engineering, geosciences and chemistry with a strong background in relevant areas of sensing, electronics, microfluidics, biogeochemistry, signal processing and sensor networks, needed for successful completion of this project.
Broader Impacts:
Empowered by the proposed DiRTS monitoring platform, the new and improved understanding of the complex dynamic nitrogen transformational processes in soil will have broad applicability for agricultural and environmental monitoring and management. The system will help optimize fertilizer treatment thereby saving costs while improving food security and reducing contamination of soil and water sources from fertilizer run-off. Sensors for ammonium, nitrates, salinity and moisture, with ultra low power circuits will have broad applicability for wearable health monitoring, point of care diagnostics, and food water and air quality monitoring. Advanced geospatial mapping algorithms will be useful in processing data from a wealth of sources such as satellite data for weather and agriculture. There are opportunities for licensing and commercialization through the Tech Transfer offices at the participating universities.
Beyond technical impact, proposed research will offer educational and outreach opportunities
through (1) interdisciplinary two-term course development for undergraduate and graduate students on internet of things (2) Training modules on the design and deployment of the DiRTS monitoring platform available to practitioners and (3) diversity outreach through mentoring enable via successful established programs such as Leadership Alliance, Bridging Engineers for Success at Tufts, and Access to Birmingham Uni outreach activity at BiFOR-FACE.
Publications
Comer-Warner S
(2023)
Elevated temperature and nutrients lead to increased N2O emissions from salt marsh soils from cold and warm climates
in Biogeochemistry
Comer-Warner S
(2022)
Spartina alterniflora has the highest methane emissions in a St. Lawrence estuary salt marsh
in Environmental Research: Ecology
Comer-Warner S
(2022)
Restoration impacts on rates of denitrification and greenhouse gas fluxes from tropical coastal wetlands
in Science of The Total Environment
Guo Y
(2023)
Prolonged flooding followed by drying increase greenhouse gas emissions differently from soils under grassland and arable land uses
in Geoderma Regional
MacKenzie A
(2021)
BIFoR FACE : Water-soil-vegetation-atmosphere data from a temperate deciduous forest catchment, including under elevated CO 2
in Hydrological Processes
Norby R
(2024)
Enhanced woody biomass production in a mature temperate forest under elevated CO2
in Nature Climate Change
Rathbone C
(2023)
Ammonia emissions from nitrogen fertilised agricultural soils: controlling factors and solutions for emission reduction
in Environmental Chemistry
Saiz E
(2022)
Real-time soil nutrients monitoring
Zhang P
(2021)
Nanotechnology and artificial intelligence to enable sustainable and precision agriculture.
in Nature plants
| Description | The review that was originally undertaken for the project proposal made it into two manuscripts that are now published; One in Nature-Plants and other in the Science of the Total Environment. Both papers extensively cover nitrogen cycling and aspects of N sensing in soils towards sustainable and precision agriculture. In 2022, a comprehensive testing and validation of a fiber microfluidic sensor for nutrient sensing in soils in the laboratory were undertaken, where ammonium sensing was proved very efficient and robust in relation to greenhouse gas emissions including N2O. The data was compelling and the outcome is now under review for publication in Geoderma Journal. A second manuscript is under preparation as well. In 2023, further experimentations on nutrient cycling, sensing and greenhouse gas emissions are underway under ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2 fumigation as originally envisages in the proposal. |
| Exploitation Route | Published work and free access to these papers are already gaining citations (21 total so far) and key outcomes are also part of the on-going experiments undertaken at Birmingham University on nutrient sensing. A publication on the prototype fiber microfluidic for nutrient sensing and greenhouse gas emission will generate the framework for minitiarization and commercialization subsequently. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Environment |
| Description | Getting to the root of the forest response to elevated CO2 |
| Amount | £20,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | Project 1863294 |
| Organisation | Woodland Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2022 |
| End | 03/2024 |
| Title | Fiber microfluidic for in situ ammonium sensing in soils |
| Description | A fiber microfluidic sensor fitted with ion selective electrodes for ammonium sensing in soils were tested and validated under varied soil moisture scenarios. The fiber pulls in soil pore water and directs it to the ISE for real time sensing which offer a great potential for wider application in soils for real time nutrient sensing. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This sensing mote will have potential for minitiarization and potentially commercialization in future for real time N sensing. |
| Title | BIFoR FACE environmental monitoring data |
| Description | |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | http://edata.bham.ac.uk/564/ |
| Description | Targeted metabolomics at Arnold Arboretum and Harvard Forest, Harvard University. |
| Organisation | Harvard University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The research group of Dr Ben Taylor, Faculty Fellow at Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, USA contacted FACE Underground for collaboration on root exudates metabolomics. As a result we are now sending archived samples to Harvard for analysis to be part of a global study on root exudation in response to elevated atmospheric CO2 fumigation. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Ben Taylor group will use our samples and analyse it for 29 target compounds to be part of a global study led by Harvard University. In return, they also plan to undertake further analysis for tracking seasonal changes in exudation via oak tree roots at BIFoR-FACE. |
| Impact | There will be joint publications and sharing of data in the near future. This is a multidisciplinary collaboration. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Demonstration of research activity at BIFoR-FACE to the DEFRA Woodland and Tree Team |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The DEFRA's Tree and Woodlands Group visited BIFoR-FACE where our project gave a tour of the on-going research under three UKRI-NERC funded projects. Impacts of climate change on forest ecology and restoration of mixed woodlands were the focus of the tour. The key take home was that mixed woodlands are more effective in capturing carbon than mono-cuture-an aspect of your work directly relevant to the DEFRA policy team. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Showcase of project outputs at the One Health event hosted by the UK Mission to the EU in Nov. 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Hosted in the Ambassador's Residence by the Deputy Ambassador to the EU, Her Excellency Caroline Read, the OneHealth exhibition was an opportunity to showcase our cross-cutting science and engaged in fruitful discussion and debates, together with selected other universities from across the UK BIFOR representatives Professor Sami Ullah and Professor Christine Foyer at the University of Birmingham were able to present findings from three UKRI funded project to key people such as Simon Nichelson, Head of Investment for the British Embassy in Brussels, Silas Whiteley, Head of One Health in the UK Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, as well as others from organizations including the Commission's DG Research, the WHO, the Chinese Mission to the EU, the UK Deputy Chief Medical Officer and many more. There were at least 100 to 150 participants including politicians, policy makers, NGOs and industry. The showcase attracted interests of the stakeholders in knowing more and engaging with BIFoR for gaining insights into the policy implications of the research projects. Plans are now underway on working towards policy recommendations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Showcase of results to UKRI Infrastructure Team at BIFoR-FACE site in May 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Showcase of research outcomes at BIFoR-FACE to the UKRI Infrastructure team together with a visit of the FACE facility. The afternoon of the day, also included ECR participation in the UKRI-Infrastructure team for feedback about infrastructure of the future and its impact on science and career development of ECR. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |