Autonomous, high‐frequency and long‐term monitoring of substrate temperature in rocky intertidal zones

Abstract Intertidal zones are characterized by complex and dynamic thermal mosaics, where organisms experience extreme temperature variations influenced by microclimatic factors. However, accurately monitoring rocky shore temperatures over the long term remains challenging due to the limitations of conventional temperature loggers. Surface‐deployed loggers are often prone to loss and measurement inaccuracies caused by external influences such as solar radiation and wind. Here, we evaluated rock‐embedded T7.3 EnvLoggers as an alternative for monitoring intertidal substrate temperatures. We compared their performance to traditional surface‐deployed loggers in terms of accuracy, long‐term loss rates, and the impact of sampling frequency on detecting temperature extremes. Our results indicate that rock‐embedded T7.3 EnvLoggers offer superior accuracy, with a mean bias of approximately 0.01°C, and significantly lower loss rates (~ 0.1% per year) compared to surface loggers, which exhibit loss rates ranging from 7.6% to 36.8% per year. Additionally, we found that a sampling interval of 1 h effectively captures daily thermal extremes with minimal error (< 1°C), striking a balance between accuracy and feasibility for long‐term deployments. Embedding loggers within rocky substrates presents a durable and cost‐effective solution for large‐scale, long‐term temperature monitoring, standardizes thermal assessments, is scalable, and can be easily adapted for use in other habitats.