A Buoyant Tethered Sphere for Marine Current Estimation

作者：Marchant Ross^*; Stevens Thomas; Choukroun Severine; Coombes Gavin; Santarossa Michael; Whinney James; Ridd Peter

来源：IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, 2014, 39(1): 2-9.

DOI：10.1109/JOE.2012.2236151

• Drag
• low-cost instrumentation
• measurement
• ocean current

The high cost of acoustic Doppler ocean current meters means few are deployed in marine research studies. To address this problem, we have developed a low-cost robust current velocimeter based on the drag-tilt principle. The instrument tilts in response to current flow, for which the angle and direction of tilt are related to the water velocity. Static analytic approximation shows a sigmoid-type tilt response to increasing current speed. We detail a calibration method that models the relationship using a Gompertz curve. Calibration and field tests conducted near Magnetic Island, Australia, show a speed accuracy of 0.05 m/s for current speeds less than 0.6 m/s, and direction accuracy better than 15 for current speeds greater than 0.15 m/s. This instrument should be especially useful for research projects where numerous or spatially dense measurements of ocean currents are required.

• 出版日期2014-1