Within the James Reserve, tucked into the San Jacinto Mountains of California, a group of scientists are quietly installing a network of sensors, robots, solar panels, and cameras. This complex has been developed to record and understand the dynamics of hourly micro-climate changes, with the aim of establishing a database of the recording of every conceivable nuance of this plot of nature.

This illustration was commissioned by the New York Times for a 5/10/05 cover article entitled A Web of Sensors, Taking Earth's Pulse. The article focuses on the James Reserve and other such projects across the country. The highlight of these endeavors has been the Terrestrial Ecology Observing Systems, most notably the Treebots that travel along cables strung high up within the forest canopy.

 

 

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