Join Municipal Ecologists and Product Manager Dr. Anders Tengberg as they do the yearly service and data download from two Aanderaa SeaGuard Profiling Current Meters deployed in the Oeresund straight, between Sweden and Denmark.
Ocean Currents
Ocean water currents are driven by winds, tides and density differences. The ocean circulation regulates the earth's climate by transporting heat. The flowing water affects offshore and coastal construction and also carries particles, animals, plants, nutrients, pollutants and dissolved gases. The acoustic doppler technique has become the preferred technology for most users measuring ocean current, because it is robust, needs no calibrations, can be used for both point (RCM) and profiling (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiling) measurements and is basically insensitive to fouling.
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.
Methods to measure water current
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 is the preferred technology for measuring currents 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 out acoustic pulses that 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.
Profiling Current Meter
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 a configuration for:
- Upward or downward use.
- User-selectable broadband/narrow-band
- Parallel columns referenced to the surface and instrument simultaneously
- Surface current measurements
- Directional waves
- Unique ability to collect high-quality current information on moving and tilting platforms
- Used as stand-alone or with a SeaGuardII multiparameter Platform.
The ADCP is designed for maximum compatibility. It can be seamlessly integrated with any logger/modem capable of reading serial RS232 and/or RS422. This stand-alone unit is stripped to remove the overhead of a datalogger if not needed, making it a versatile tool for various applications.
SeaGuardII DCP and SmartGuard are multiparameter instruments from Aanderaa that combine current profiling with other ocean parameters. It has the capacity to serve as an observatory.
Single-Point Current Meter
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, single point 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.
Data & Specification Sheets
SEAGUARD® Recording Current Meter
ZPulse® Doppler Current Sensor 4420
Doppler Current Sensor Blue 5430
Doppler Current Profiler Sensor (DCPS) 5400/5402/5403
SeaGuardII® Recording Current Meter
Brochures
Acoustic Doppler Current Meters in high fouling environments
Ocean and Coastal Monitoring Solutions
News & Press Releases
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
Mineral Mining on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Improved Marine Waters Monitoring in Bulgaria
Application Notes
Aquaculture Pens in Tasmania, Australia
High Quality Currents from Surface and Bottom Platforms
Environmental impact of ship traffic: mixing and pollution spreading
Current and Wave Measurements from Autonomous Surface Platforms
Demo av Trådløs DCS - Norwegian Version
Monitoring of earthquake-triggered turbidity currents in the Marmara Sea
Looking for Life in the Hadal Zone
Articles & Papers
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
Mission Water # 10: Going to the Hadal
Manuals
Presentations
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Worldwide Representatives for Aanderaa
SeaGuardII yearly service and data downlaod
Aanderaa Quality Assurance
At Aanderaa, we work continually to ensure that our clients receive the best service in the industry. We evaluate our performance on a constant basis to make sure that we are meeting clients’ expectations and finding ways to improve. Please see the video of an individual testing of a Recording Current Meter in the Ulven Lake where Product Manager, Jarle Heltne, makes sure that there is no electronic noise in our Current Meter.
Related Products
Stand-Alone Doppler Current Sensor
The Aanderaa Current Sensors are available in a profiling and a single-point version with three depth ratings. We offer Doppler Current Profiler Sensor, Doppler Current Sensor and the In-line ZPulse Doppler Current Sensor.
Profiling Current Meter
The SeaGuardII DCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler - ADCP) measures currents and can be extended with wave direction, oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, temperature, and serial sensors.
Profiling Current Meter and Wave
Profiling Current Meter and Wave - The optimal solution to measure current, speed, direction, and water quality in one instrument.
MOTUS Wave Buoy
The MOTUS (movement in Latin) Wave Buoy is a perfect solution for collecting environmental data in coastal areas.
Pressure Based Waves
Measure pressure based Waves with the Aanderaa Wave Sensors- compact fully integrated sensors for measuring wave and tide conditions
SeaGuard Sensor String
The Aanderaa SEAGUARD® Sensor String Systems are complete and flexible subsea observatories for measurements of e.g. dissolved oxygen, conductivity, temperature, current, pressure and tide.
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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