Estimating sediment transport from acoustic measurements in the Venice Lagoon inlets

This paper presents the results of a 3-year-long (November 2004–November 2007) study based on the use of acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) to estimate the solid transport through the three inlets of Venice lagoon. In each of the three inlets instruments were mounted both on survey boats and deployed on the channel bed. The three bottom-mounted ADCPs were positioned in the central part of the inlets, continuously monitoring vertical profiles in the water column. Periodic transects along the investigated sections were collected by the boat-mounted ADCP. Both installations measured current speed and acoustic backscatter intensity. The latter expresses the attenuation of acoustic energy due to material in the water column.