Amongst the autumnal wonder in the alpine valleys around Berchtesgaden, researchers from Freising (Germany) and Ghent (Belgium) met to install the newest batch of LEAF sensors. Perched on tripods held firmly by steel cables fastened to the rocky subsurface, these silent sentinels are programmed to wake up and quietly scan the surroundings five times daily in various configurations. Not far from them, at a distance of 20 metres, 120-watt bifacial solar panels capture the energy from the sun trickling down through the canopy to provide power to keep the sensors running, day in and day out. Solar cables run across the ground to complete the connections. They are housed in corrugated tubes to protect them from curious fauna! The brain running the operations—the power box—is suspended right below the sensor, held in a metal basket tied to the tripod legs with metal wires. The setup is now relaying insights from the alpine surroundings!

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