Oceanography covers a wide range of topics, including current. To measure water current, along with other parameters, it is crucial to get a good understanding of prevailing forces and how eco systems function and change over time. Currents vary on time scales of seconds to minutes to hours. To obtain reliable information on current dynamics requires instruments that are installed and measure continuously over longer time periods. Spot measurements during shorter expeditions will give limited "snap shot" information.
The “classical” way to measure water current is to use rotor/propeller equipped instruments. Later generations of current meters measure current speed and direction without moving parts using acoustic doppler, acoustic time travel or electromagnetic techniques.
The acoustic doppler technique has become the preferred technology for most users measuring current, because it is robust, needs no calibrations, can be used for both point (RCM) and profiling (ADCP) measurements and is basically insensitive to fouling.
Acoustic transducers send acoustic pulses which are reflected against particles and/or gas-bubbles moving in the water. Depending on the direction and speed of the water suspended particles a frequency shift (Doppler shift) in the returned acoustic signal will occur which is used to calculate the water current speed and direction.
The Aanderaa Doppler Current Profiler Sensor (DCPS) which is also known as an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) is a 600 kHz profiler with a range of 30-110 m. It is available as a stand-alone current meter and complete instrument. The profiler has configuration for:
The ADCP can be used with any third party logger capable of reading serial Rs232 and/or Rs422. This is a stand-alone unit stripped to remove overhead of datalogger if not needed.
SeaGuardII DCP is the latest generation of multiparameter instruments from Aanderaa combining current profiling with other ocean parameters. It has the capacity to serve as an underwater observatory.
The SeaGuard platform combined with a suite of Aanderaa Smart Sensors offers large flexibility to adapt the instrument for different missions. Sensors can be plug-and-play added as desired on to the top plate of the instrument or cable connected or included in sensor strings. Analog and serial ports also makes it possible to add sensors from other manufacturers.
One software, the Real Time collector, is used to communicate and set-up all Aanderaa platforms and smart sensors.
Collected data is plotted and analyzed using the 3D-studio software and if the instruments are used on-line the GeoView or the new Hydrosphere software are often selected for real-time presentation of the measurements and for database storage.
For shallow water applications we offer the RCM-Blue an affordable, 300m rated, current meter with exceptional autonomy and Blue Tooth communication for set up and data download.
To learn more about these instruments, ocean water currents and their abilities please look at the video of a yearly service of two SeaGuard instruments used for coastal monitoring.
SEAGUARD® Recording Current Meter
ZPulse® Doppler Current Sensor 4420
Doppler Current Sensor Blue 5430
Doppler Current Profiler Sensor (DCPS) 5400/5402/5403
Acoustic Doppler Current Meters
Ocean and Coastal Monitoring Solutions
Final field work in wind platform project in the Baltic Sea
SeaGuard records 1014 days of data at Hawaiian deep-water coral site
Five generations of instruments in service
Accurate directional waves with adaptive broadband - SeaGuardII DCP Wave
From the screaming '60s to a beach in South Africa
Combined strength of Aanderaa and YSI in Arctic studies
Artificial Cod Reef Project Aims to Get the Cod Back
Improved Marine Waters Monitoring in Bulgaria
Aquaculture Pens in Tasmania, Australia
High Quality Currents from Surface and Bottom Platforms
Environmental impact of ship traffic: mixing and pollution spreading
Demo av Trådløs DCS - Norwegian Version
SeaGuardII DCP Wave white paper
SeaGuard Current Meters Case Study
Kolje Fjord Observatory - YSI EXO2 and AADI SeaGuard
The incredible adventure of the UNCW lander
Mission Water - Mystery at the Bottom of the Baltic Sea
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Aanderaa is part of Xylem Analytics and a leading provider of robust and reliable instrument solutions for ocenaographic and other environmental measurements. Xylem Analytics is part of Xylem Inc., a global company focused on solving the world's most challenging and fundamental water issues. As accurate analysis is crucial to the water industry, Xylem Analytics taps its diverse product brands for leadership in that field and beyond, providing the best laboratory and field monitoring instrumentation across a wide variety of industries. www.xylem.com
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