Calibration of estuarine current crosses

Tethered current crosses are simple, reliable tools in making measurements of estuarine currents in the absence of surface waves. The standard error of the estimate of current speed is less than 5 cm s^?1 for the particular crosses and weights used in a calibration experiment. The useful velocity range of these current crosses was 8–147 cm s^?1, corresponding to a measured angle, α, from 2° to 30°. Regression of the independently measured current speed on $\text{(tan α)}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$ yielded coefficients of determination greater than 0·94, indicating that the drag coefficient is not a function of current speed. However, the calculated drag coefficients varied widely from 0·66 to 2·55, depending on the particular combination of cross and weight, varying drastically from the commonly assumed drag coefficient value of 1·12. Thus, in using current crosses, it is imperative to calibrate each cross against a current meter reading to determine an appropriate value for the drag coefficient for a particular current cross and weight.