Rabiu Olatinwo, University of Georgia

The Georgia Peanut Tour stopped at the Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network weather station in McRae, Ga. The AEMN was established in 1991 by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and collects detailed weather information and other environmental variables across the state of Georgia.

There are 77 automated weather stations across Georgia. Each weather station monitors relative humidity, air temperature, soil moisture, soil temperature at three different depths, wind speed and direction, solar radiation, barometric pressue, and precipitation. Some stations also monitor open pan evaporation, water temperature and leaf wetness.  The data is scanned at a one-second frequency and every 15 minutes a summary is calculated and stored in the data logger. The data is downloaded into a computer at the UGA Griffin Campus and once it is processed, the data is made available for the public to view online at www.georgiaweather.net.  The data is used for irrigation management, water conservation, integrated pest management, precision farming and more.

Rabiu Olatinwo with UGA explains more about the weather station.