Wiesner is an assistant professor of environmental science at UW–River Falls. Her research interests include agricultural atmospheric science and climate resiliency, land-atmosphere interactions, remote sensing, and ecosystem management. Wiesner’s position is funded by the Dairy Innovation Hub.
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications have become more prevalent in recent years. Their use ranges from vegetation monitoring, including reflectivity and surface temperature, to
fertilizer, seeding and herbicide applications, to greenhouse gas measurements across space (i.e., natural gas leaks). UAV measurements are often superior to satellite images due to their greater spatial resolution, and lower potential for obstructions from clouds, which can be particularly problematic for the Midwestern United States. While their application is varied, the technology has exhibited significant improvements in the last few years, allowing for more advanced sensor measurements, as well as extended flight times. To improve the environmental monitoring of agroecosystems, an advanced UAV including replaceable sensors and aerial application would greatly enhance current and future research at Mann Valley farm, including a vegetation and soil monitoring network, as well as assess treatment experiments, including cover crops. A UAV in combination with soil gas flux measurements, vegetation and soil monitoring and eddy covariance measurements could improve the monitoring of agricultural sustainability of Mann Valley farm and allow for extended research campaigns across other dairy farms, without the need for intensive field data collections and additional burdens to commercial producers.