FeatherFlame: An Arduino-based thermocouple datalogging system to record wildland fire flame temperatures in agris

Abstract Rangeland scientists have long relied on thermocouples for measuring temperature, especially in agris—in the field, under the extreme conditions of wildland fire. But the electronics required to sense and record thermocouple data remain expensive to both purchase and protect from exposure to heat and flames. Open-source, do-it-yourself (DIY) electronics platforms such as Arduino are increasingly popular among ecologists, and have been shown to perform as well as proprietary commercial systems when recording thermocouple data. The FeatherFlame system is a reliable, low-cost solution to sampling wildland fire, ranging from US$240–490 for 1–6 thermocouple sensors, including all fire protection equipment. The low cost and multi-sensor capacity facilitates spatial replication, which allows fire ecologists to measure and report meaningful data on rate of spread and calculate fire intensity.