Fiber optics opens window on stream dynamics
J. Selker
N.C. van de Giesen
M. Westhoff
W. Luxemburg
M.B. Parlange
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Abstract
A new approach to monitoring surface waters using distributed fiber optic temperature sensing is presented, allowing resolutions of temperature of 0.01°C every meter along a fiber optic cable of up to 10,000 m in length. We illustrate the potential of this approach by quantifying both stream temperature dynamics and groundwater inflows to the Maisbich, a first-order stream in Luxembourg (49°47?N, 6°02?E). The technique provides a very rich dataset, which may be of interest to many types of environmental research, notably that of stream ecosystems.