A Community-Engaged Weather and Soil Moisture Monitoring Network in the
Roaring Fork Catchment of the Colorado River Headwaters
Abstract
Local community and research interest to better understand regional
climate change impacts has led to the establishment of a long-term soil
moisture and weather observation network in the Roaring Fork catchment
of the Colorado River Headwaters. This catchment-wide suite of 10
stations collects frequent and continuous data on soil moisture, soil
temperature, rain, air temperature, relative humidity, and (at some
stations) snow across an elevational gradient from 1,800m to 3,680m in
elevation. We demonstrate how this effort can support research on
mountain hydrology with applications for resource management and climate
change adaptation decision making. We also share perspectives on the
value and opportunities a community science approach can bring to
catchment studies moving forward. All data from this project are
publicly available.