Acoustic Doppler current profiler

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Side view of an ADCP fromTeledyne, one only sees two of the four transducers (in red).
The battery pack requires most of the space (light grey cylinder)
An acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP or ADP) is a hydroacoustic current meter similar
to a sonar, attempting to measure water current velocities over a depth range using the Doppler
effect of sound waves scattered back from particles within the water column. The term ADCP is
used synonymously for all kind of acoustic current meters although the abbreviation originates
from the name of an instrument series by Teledyne.[1] ADCPs have been commercially available
since the late 1980s. The working frequencies range from 38 kHz to several megahertz.

Contents
[hide]

1 Working principle

2 Applications
o

2.1 Bottom tracking

3 Advantages and disadvantages

4 References

Working principle[edit]
ADCPs contain piezoelectric oscillators to transmit and receive sound signals. The traveling time
of sound waves gives an estimate of the distance, the red or blue shift can be converted to a
velocity. To measure 3D velocities, at least three vector components have to be estimated, this is
why the instrument typically has four of them.

Head of an ADCP with the four transducers

Further components of an ADCP are an electronic amplifier, a receiver, a mixer, a clock to
measure the traveling time, a temperature sensor, a compass to know the relative rotation, and a
pitch/roll sensor to know the horizontal. An analog-to-digital converter and a digital signal
processor are required to sample the returning signal in order to determine the Doppler shift.
A micro processor evaluates thesound velocity at the instrument position using the seawater
equation of state, and uses this to estimate the velocities. This procedure assumes that the
same density in the water column nearby is mainly determined by temperature, i.e. that
the salinity has a preconfigured constant value. Finally, the results are saved on a memory card.

Applications[edit]
Depending on the mounting, one can distinguish between side-listening, downward- and upward
looking ADCPs. A bottom-mounted ADCP can measure the speed and direction of currents at
equal intervals all the way to the surface. Mounted sideways on a wall or bridge piling in rivers or
canals it can measure the current profile from bank to bank. In very deep water they can be
lowered on cables from the surface.[2]
The primary usage is for oceanography.[3] The instruments can also be used
in rivers and canals to measure continuously the discharge measurements.
Mounted on moorings within the water column or directly at the seabed, water current and wave
studies may be performed. They can stay underwater for years at a time, the limiting factor is the
lifetime of the battery pack. Depending on the nature of the deployment the instrument usually
has the ability to be powered from shore, using the sameumbilical cable for data communication.
Deployment duration can be extended by a factor of three by substituting lithium battery
packs for the standard alkaline packs.
Some harbor managers also use ADCPs to nowcast tides and local currents which helps them to
optimize the ship traffic in a busy port. Another application is the measurement of water flow
through sewer pipes.

Bottom tracking[edit]
By adjusting the signal processing, ADCPs can be employed as acoustic doppler velocity log,
this feature is usually called bottom-track. Sound waves bouncing off the sea floor can be used to
determine the velocity vector of the device. Combining this with a position fix, compass heading,
and data from the acceleration sensors (typically by use of aKalman filter), the position of the
vehicle with the ADCP can be determined. This may help to navigate
submarines, autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicles.

Advantages and disadvantages[edit]

The major advantage of ADCPs is no moving parts are used which may be subject to biofouling.
Besides, a single instrument is enough to cover up to 1000 m of water column, this allows more
accurate estimations of flow patterns.

However, the cost per device of roughly tens of thousands of euros is relatively high. Considering
the assumptions made constant temperature and salinity the choice of a mechanical
instrument might be more appropriate where one of the variables is non-constant, i.e. within
the thermocline (depth range with prominent temperature gradient) orhalocline (salinity changing
with depth). NOTE: that when significant stratification is present, the horizontal velocities that are
measured by the ADCP are correct, but the vertical velocities and the ranges to the cells could
be in error by up to 3% if there is a 35psu difference across the thermocline.
As any acoustical instrument, it contributes to noise pollution in the ocean which may interfere
with cetacean navigation and echolocation.[4] The effect depends on the frequency and the power
of the instrument but most ships already have one or more echo sounders which also contribute
to noise pollution.