INSTITUTE, WV (WOAY) – West Virginia State University (WVSU) Extension Service’s monthly Ag Talk Tuesday series continues Tuesday, December 8, at 6 p.m. EST with a discussion of an ongoing climate change and weather data collection study. WVSU Extension Service personnel will share information and answer questions with participants live via Zoom.
The project, which engages landowners and organizations in outreach related to climate change, is collecting weather data from all over the state for the next three years in order to study microclimates and climate changes.
“While there are other weather data collection projects going on in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., West Virginia is underrepresented,” said WVSU Extension Agent Liz Moss. “There is a great need to study not only precipitation but also temperature and wind patterns in the state, which forms the backbone of the Appalachian Mountains.”
The data collected will allow WVSU Extension Service to inform farmers, forestland owners, gardeners, producers and communities about issues such as growing season and rainfall pattern changes, Moss said.
Participants are provided a wi-fi enabled weather station that, once setup and connected, transmits data directly to Moss. To date, 60 data collection stations have been distributed to participants in 37 counties.
The Ag Talk Tuesday session will provide an overview and update of the program to both current participants and anyone interested in learning more about the project.
The free monthly series began in July and takes place the second Tuesday of each month. Participants register to join the live event and can submit questions ahead of time through the WVSU Extension Service Facebook and Twitter platforms or via email.
To participate in the Zoom sessions, register at wvstateu.edu/ANR. Registering once provides access to the full schedule of sessions.
While live questions will be answered during each session, participants are also encouraged to submit questions, as well as ideas for future topics, ahead of time to extension@wvstateu.edu.
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