15 September 2008
Introducing the RiverSonde®
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Expanding
the radar product line, CODAR Ocean Sensors is now offering the RiverSonde®,
an affordable, non-contact monitoring system used to measure water
flow in rivers, streams and channels. It measures and records mean
surface velocities and from these can generate velocity profiles. These
data can be used in conjunction with additional relevant data to calculate
total water volume flow (discharge). RiverSonde is used to study river
flow properties and effects, and used by anyone interested in these
properties, including geologists, water resource scientists, agricultural
managers for irrigation, flood control/emergency response, and wildlife
managers. It is also ideal for monitoring river movement during flood
events when in-situ measurements are either unavailable or extremely
dangerous to obtain using traditional methods.
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Profile representing a cut directly across swath of vectors extending out
from the radar.
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One of the outputs from the RiverSonde is a onedimensional
map of surface current radial velocities. An example of raw data
from the San Joaquin River at Vernalis in California is shown here;
approximately 2800 radial current vectors are plotted using an
angular resolution on 1º. While this plot only includes data covering
about 150 seconds, the RiverSonde continuously measures cross-channel
radial velocities and can average over longer periods.
Radial currents for one 2.5-minute data segment.
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These one-dimensional velocity map outputs from a RiverSonde can be combined
with those from additional RiverSondes to create continuous realtime two-dimensional
vector maps of surface current velocity and direction, in similar manner as SeaSonde,
but on a smaller scale (spatially and temporally). Synoptic measurement of 2D
velocity distributions in river flows such as this is not possible using any
other technology.
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This system is designed for
operation at river's edge, in populated or remote locations. Robust
hardware and software allow automated operation and data processing,
even under extreme weather and/or vessel traffic conditions when other
in-situ devices routinely fail.
Development began at CODAR Ocean Sensors in 1999 with funding from the
US Geological Survey (USGS), whose aim was to see a non-contact alternative
to present stream gauging methods. With promising initial results, R&D
continued, with prototype units having been deployed and operated successfully
in several western U.S. locations.
The RiverSonde is now commercially available. A complete set of product
information will be available shortly at the company web site. |
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