Acoustic Doppler current profiler performance in near surface andbottom boundaries

The authors discuss the current measurement accuracy of the RD Instruments 1200-kHz acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) in the near surface and bottom boundaries. Data are presented from tests. In the first series of tests, an ADCP was mounted on a bottom sled in an upward looking mode. The sled was towed at known speeds with and without surface waves. Additionally, tests were conducted with several acoustic baffle designs installed in the transducer head. The 1200-kHz ADCP has the ability to accurately measure mean currents in a dynamic wave induced flow field. Sidelobes can bias the measurements at 85% of the range when bottom or surface boundaries are present. The amount of bias is strongly dependent on surface wave characteristics. Sidelobe bias can be eliminated with a properly designed baffle system. The profilers have the ability to measure wave particle velocities with a properly configured system     

Performance of a broad-band acoustic Doppler current profiler

A new broadband acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) is described, with a useful range comparable to that of a commercially available narrowband (incoherent) system of the same acoustic frequency, but having enhanced performance. The extra performance may be traded off among (1) reduced velocity variance, (2) reduced averaging time, and (3) finer depth resolution. This improvement permits the observation of phenomena with smaller time and space scales than is now possible with available ADCPs. An expression predicting r.m.s. velocity error in terms of system parameters and the measured acoustic data is given and is shown to be consistent with the independently measured velocity error among redundant beams. Two major sources of bias error in incoherent ADCPs are shown to be much reduced for the broadband system. Field data demonstrating the improved performance over the existing incoherent ADCP are shown for cases of both strong and weak shear     

自由投放式声学多普勒海流剖面观测及数据处理

自由投放式声学多普勒海流剖面（FADCP）观测以“自由落体”方式进行采样,其不依赖于测船钢缆牵引即可对全深度海流进行观测,观测稳定性较下放式声学多普勒海流剖面（LADCP）大幅提升,有效减少了观测值之中的不规则运动。2021年4月与9月在南海西沙海域开展的FADCP观测实验获得了两个断面包含16个站的海流及CTD资料。基于静置期间的真实底流观测,各站全深度的海流剖面采用剪切法获得,潜标附近站位剖面与潜标观测剖面相比,平均流速偏差为3 cm/s。观测断面捕捉到了西沙海域两个时期的气旋涡,其垂直结构比HYCOM模拟更精细,表层流与绝对地转流契合。研究表明,FADCP对测船要求低、数据质量高,其后处理简便且结果良好,但无法对特定水层实施补充观测。     

Incoherent multibeam Doppler current profiler performance: Part II--Spatial response

We consider the spatial response and sampling properties of ship-mounted four-beam and three-beam incoherent Doppler current profilers. Spatial properties are an issue because such systems cannot make a point measurement of the current field, and because the actual current field is nonuniform. We obtain expressions for the effect of beamwidth, beam separation, and block averaging on system response. We observe that spatial aliasing may occur above some critical depth, and that pulsewidth reduction cannot improve vertical resolution beyond a limit imposed by system geometry. We also find that, for the three-beam system, the along-track component is irrevocably contaminated (to some degree) by the cross-track component as a result of its nonorthogonal beam geometry. The velocity and shear estimate variances achievable with these systems are calculated in a companion paper [1].     

Incoherent multibeam Doppler current profiler performance: Part I--Estimate variance

We derive statistical lower bounds on the velocity and shear profile estimation accuracies (variances) achievable with both four-beam and three-beam Doppler current profilers. We find that performance (estimate variance) is asymptotic to a constant as SNR increases; this is evidently due to the assumed incoherent scattering properties of the medium. Curves and expressions are developed which define the tradeoffs between accuracy and resolution for two systems manufactured by AMETEK-Straza. The spatial response properties of the systems are addressed in a companion paper [3].     

Acoustic Doppler current meter

A current meter designed to measure velocity profiles in the water column above the bed is described. The solution proposed is a coherent backscatter Doppler sonar system using a single transducer. A range-velocity product of 20 m²/s can be achieved by combining state of the art sonar techniques with new processing methods and careful, highly flexible design. Large range-velocity products and very short range resolution together with the possibility of acquiring sensible results without averaging over long time periods are features of this current meter     

Correction method for full-depth current velocity with lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP)

A new method is presented to process and correct full-depth current velocity data obtained from a lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP). The analysis shows that, except near the surface, the echo intensity of a reflected sound pulse is closely correlated with the magnitude of the difference in vertical shear of velocity between downcast and upcast, indicating an error in velocity shear. The present method features the use of echo intensity for the correction of velocity shear. The correction values are determined as to fit LADCP velocity to shipboard ADCP (SADCP) and LADCP bottom-tracked velocities. The method is as follows. Initially, a profile of velocity relative to the sea surface is obtained by integrating vertical shears of velocity after low-quality data are rejected. Second, the relative velocity is fitted to the velocity at 100–800 dbar measured by SADCP to obtain an “absolute” velocity profile. Third, the velocity shear is corrected using the relationship between the errors in velocity shears and echo intensity, in order to adjust the velocity at sea bottom to the bottom-tracked velocity measured by LADCP. Finally, the velocity profile is obtained from the SADCP-fitted velocity at depths less than 800 dbar and the corrected velocity shear at depths greater than 800 dbar. This method is valid for a full-depth LADCP cast throughout which the echo intensity is relatively high (greater than 75 dB in the present analysis). Although the processed velocity may include errors of 1–2 cm s⁻¹, this method produced qualitatively good current structures in the Northeast Pacific Basin that were consistent with the deep current structures inferred from silicate distribution, and the averaged velocities were significantly different from those calculated by the Visbeck (2002) method.     

Using a lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler for measuring current velocities in the Black Sea

The results obtained with the use of a lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP) are presented. The use of the LADCP from a vessel was the first in the history of the study of the Black Sea. The measurements were carried out in the northeastern Black Sea under the auspices of the Black Sea Ecosystem Recovery Program (BSERP) in May 2004. The effect of the computation parameters on the quality and accuracy of the calculations of velocity profiles was studied. It was shown that the use of optimal parameters and reliable navigation data and setting the instrument as close to the bottom as possible could essentially enhance the accuracy of the measurements. The current velocity calculations from the LADCP data were compared with the data on the vessel drift under calm weather. The accuracy of the calculations reached 6–8 cm/s. Recommendations on the choice of the optimal parameters for processing the data on the current velocity are presented.     

Design and tests of a trawl-resistant package for an acousticDoppler current profiler

A package designed to protect an RD Instrument Ltd. acoustic Doppler current profiler survived several passages of a bottom trawl. The package, in the shape of a truncated pyramid, has a base 4 m by 3.3 m and a height of 53 cm. The authors describe the package, its deployment method, and field test results where a trawl was repeatedly dragged over the unit. The device has been used successfully three times on the continental shelf. Some acoustic measurements were also made to ascertain the effect of the package on the beam pattern. The results show that this design can protect the instrument from bottom trawls and the acoustic beams are minimally affected by the plastic plate in front of the instrument transducers     

Nearshore directional wave measurements by surface-following buoy and acoustic Doppler current profiler

Directional energy spectra of nearshore surface waves were measured for a 3-year period (2004–2007) at a site with mean depth 14 m and mean tidal range 2.1 m. Triaxys surface-following wave buoys reported hourly directional wave energy spectra and wave parameters near the offshore end of the Savannah River Entrance Channel, Georgia, USA. An acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) was located beside the wave buoy for 3 months. Directional and non-directional surface wave energy spectra and the corresponding bulk wave parameters (height, period, and direction) are compared for the two systems. Most parameters derived from the spectra agree closely; the most significant differences were found at the upper and lower frequency measurement limits, where signal-to-noise ratios were lower. The wave buoy consistently reports a small amount of energy below 0.05 Hz that does not appear in the ADCP-derived spectra and does not appear to be related to the mooring system. This leads to larger mean and peak periods reported by the buoy. All directional spectra were computed using the Maximum Entropy Method for both instruments, but the buoy, with spectra derived from six independent time series, provides lower directional resolving power than the ADCP, which utilizes twelve time series. Both systems gave similar results defining mean and peak wave directions, with the primary difference being that the ADCP indicates energy to be more tightly concentrated around the peak direction.     

基于PAADCP 的海流流速的误差分析及校正方法

为了更加合理、有效地利用海流测速数据,必须进行误差分解和校正。通过分析相控阵声学多普勒海流剖面仪(PAADCP)测试海流流速的原理,提出了海试数据粗差区别与动态校正的算法,采用小波多尺度分析方法,降低了系统误差和随机误差,建立了海流流速的误差分析与校正方法。利用海试实测的垂向流速数据,分析了一般情况下的海流流速的误差,得到垂向流速的均值±0.02 m/s,误差精确度小于0.23 m/s,验证了方法的有效性及合理性。所得算法和方法对于海流测速数据的实时处理和后处理具有实用价值。     

Monitoring the deep western boundary current in the western North Pacific by echo intensity measured with lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler

Oxidation of iron and manganese ions is predominant in the oxygen-rich deep western boundary current (DWBC) within the Pacific Ocean. By the faster removal of particulate iron hydroxide and manganese oxide, densities of the particulate matters are considered to be lower in the DWBC than the interior region. To detect the density variation of suspended particles between the DWBC and interior regions, we analyzed echo intensity (EI) measured in the western North Pacific by hydrographic casts with a 300 kHz lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP) in a whole water column. At depths greater than 3000 m (~ 3000 dbar), EI is almost uniformly low between 12°N and 30°N but peaks sharply from 30°N to 35°N to a maximum north of 35°N. EI is found to be anomalously low in the DWBC compared to the background distribution. The DWBC pathways are identifiable by the low EI and high dissolved oxygen concentration. EI data by LADCPs and other acoustic instruments may be used to observe the temporal variations of the DWBC pathways.

     

Toward a quantitative near-bottom seismic profiler

This paper describes the development and application of a system for quantitative near-bottom seismic profiling at 4 kHz. Developed as part of the Deep Tow Instrumentation System of the Marine Physical Laboratory, this system represents a capability which is relatively unique in terms of lateral resolution. This capability was developed in order to observe small-scale horizontal variations in acoustic reflectivity of the sea floor as well as similar properties for shallow, layered structures in bottom sediments. The system provides real time computer processing and quantitative displays of processed data in several forms. These displays include a high resolution grey scale display of equivalent plane wave pressure (compensating for Fish altitude), a three-dimensional contourogram display of equivalent intensity, and a plot of integrated equivalent energy for travel-time sections (typically corresponding to 0–5 and 5–55 m into the bottom). These quantitative displays provide a real-time capability for mapping reflectivity of the sea floor and sub-bottom reflectors within a survey area and for estimating acoustic attenuation in marine sediments from observations of layer reflectivity as a function of depth of burial. Such determinations of attenuation can be made directly from the composite computer display which is produced on a facsimile recorder. The data from this system suggest that small scale variations are common to many areas of the sea floor, with poorly explained variations of up to 10 dB over lateral distances of less than 50 m. Values of effective attenuation determined by this system show good agreement with values measured directly in the San Diego Trough, and suggest unusually low values for highly calcareous sediments on the Carnegie Ridge.     

A hydrostatic profiler for nearshore surveying

A portable beach-profiling system is described that utilizes the hydrostatic pressure principle to measure vertical differences between a pressure sensor that follows the profile and a reference sensor on the shoreline. The two instruments are connected by a fluid-filled tube. Horizontal distance is determined by measuring the extension of the tube. The complete profiling system, including a data-logging capability on magnetic tape, is carried in a small four-wheel-drive vehicle. Vertical accuracy in ocean surveys is estimated to be 2.5 cm and horizontal accuracy approximately 1 m. This accuracy is sufficient to resolve sediment transport volumes in most applications.Surveying the underwater portion of nearshore beach profiles has presented significant accuracy problems in the past. The highest accuracy is required at the greatest offshore distance to resolve sediment motions. Boat-supported surveying systems, using the sea surface as a horizontal datum, suffer from the presence in the record of surface waves with a broad range of periods which are difficult to remove from the profile.A number of systems have been developed to eliminate the sea-surface intermediate reference and to measure the submerged portion of the profile directly. These systems involve large vehicles that are propelled or pulled along the bottom and are restricted by portability limitations. The system described eliminates many of the portability problems.     

浅地层剖面探测综述

海洋地球物理技术在海洋地质调查中起重要作用,其中浅地层剖面探测因其成本低、效率高,在海洋地质调查研究中具有广阔的应用前景.浅地层剖面探测是利用声波在水中和水下沉积物内传播和反射的特性来探测海底浅部地层结构和构造的.本文阐述了浅地层剖面仪发展历程,针对浅地层剖面探测,分析了其主要影响因素和压制方法,并对主要剖面声图类型及...     

A microstructure flux profiler control system design

A microstructure flux profiler (MFP) which uses variation of its buoyancy to maintain the speed required for data logging is detailed. The variation of buoyancy to control speed is uncommon among profilers, and the autonomous operation of this device allows a much greater degree of flexibility in the data collection. The complete development of the control system, from modeling through simulation and control system design to commissioning, is examined, and the performance is reviewed     

浅地层剖面探测技术及应用

浅地层剖面技术是应用声学原理高效获取海底面之下浅部地质地球物理信息的探测技术,主要应用于海底浅地层信息探测和海底特殊目标调查等方面.以往研究者主要集中在浅地层剖面的具体应用,未对不同类型的浅剖应用效果进行综合对比分析,本文比较4种不同类型浅地层剖面系统的组成、工作方式和探测技术参数,认为不同尺度的探测目标需要应用不同类...     

基于声学仪器与粒径分析仪研究东海浮游动物昼夜垂直迁移过程

浮游动物的昼夜迁移活动与其种群变动和摄食节律紧密联系,浮游动物昼夜移动的研究已经成为种群动力学研究的一个重要组成部分。2013年夏季在浙江东部近海,结合声学多普勒流速剖面仪(ADCP)和激光粒径分析仪(LISST-100)等仪器进行了一次定点周日连续观测。通过声学反演方法,得到后向散射强度剖面的时间变化,结合LISST-100得到的水体悬浮物粒径谱,研究了浮游动物垂直迁移及其习性。分析发现了可能是精致真刺水蚤的一次昼夜垂直迁移过程,其在夜间进入跃层附近进食,白天蛰伏于底层低温高盐的台湾暖流水中,垂向迁移速度达到了0.05 m/s。LISST-100观测还发现在夜间跃层边界处大粒径颗粒聚集和100～150 μm大小的颗粒物的减少,水体中不同粒径的悬浮颗粒物有明显的昼夜变化节律,推测水体中不同层次生物群落结构存在昼夜差异。     

水下地形SAR成像与潮流场的相关性分析示例

潮流是水下地形SAR成像的决定性因素之一,潮流的周期性变化使水下地形SAR成像与潮流场有密切的关系,同一水下地形不同时刻SAR影像不同。以台湾浅滩为例,基于5景不同时相的ERS-2 SAR影像和台湾浅滩实测水深数据,开展了水下地形SAR成像与潮流场的相关性分析。为了排除SAR影像自身成像质量对研究的影响,首先对5景SAR影像的成像质量进行评价,然后通过潮汐潮流数值计算确定SAR成像时刻的潮流场以及基于QuikScat散射计数据确定SAR成像时刻的海面风向。在上述基础上开展了SAR影像后向散射系数与实测水深的相关性分析,总结出水下地形SAR成像与潮流场的关系,结果表明,潮流场与水下地形SAR成像密切相关,当潮流流向与水下地形梯度方向一致或接近时,水下地形SAR成像效果最佳;对于同一水下地形,流向相反的两种潮流对应的SAR影像后向散射系数恰好相反,即SAR影像中的明暗条纹不同。相对于潮流流向的顺流与逆流风向的不同对水下地形SAR成像无影响。