Casey Cleland

This project focused on enhancing the efforts of the UC Santa Barbara Coastal Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program by improving the drone sampling system currently used for collecting ocean water to measure pH. The existing device deployed by the Washburn group drone lacks data logging capabilities, which impedes its effectiveness in ensuring samples are collected at precise depths. To address this, this project involved upgrading the microcontroller and improving or adding components, such as a time keeping module, as well as a tempature and pressure sensor. This work necessitated improvements in basic electronics skills such as coding and soldering. This upgrade aims to not only address the immediate need for accurate depth sampling but also to allow for the future integration of various sensors, expanding the system's utility for both fieldwork and educational purposes.