A multi-frequency Acoustic Concentration and Velocity Profiler (ACVP) for boundary layer measurements of fine-scale flow and sediment transport processes

The use of acoustics to measure sediment transport boundary layer processes has gained increasing acceptance over the past two decades. This has occurred through the development of increasingly sophisticated measuring systems and theoretical developments, which have enabled flow and suspended sedime...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Coastal engineering (Amsterdam) 2011-07, Vol.58 (7), p.594-605
Main Authors: Hurther, David, Thorne, Peter D., Bricault, Mickaël, Lemmin, Ulrich, Barnoud, Jean-Marc
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic backscattering system
Acoustic Doppler velocity profiler
Acoustic measurement
Acoustics
Boundary layer
Coastal nearshore and surfzone measurements
Continental interfaces, environment
Earth Sciences
Environmental Engineering
Environmental Sciences
Fluid mechanics
Geophysics
Instrumentation
Mechanics
Physics
Profilers
Ripple vortex entrainment
Ripples
Sciences of the Universe
Sediment transport
Sediments
Wave breaking
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Summary:The use of acoustics to measure sediment transport boundary layer processes has gained increasing acceptance over the past two decades. This has occurred through the development of increasingly sophisticated measuring systems and theoretical developments, which have enabled flow and suspended sediment parameters to be obtained from acoustic data with a high degree of accuracy. Until relatively recently, separate acoustic systems were used to measure flow and suspended sediment concentration. Over the past few years, however, the technology has become sufficiently advanced so that flow and sediment measurements can be integrated into a single system. This integration provides, quasi-instantaneous, non-intrusive, co-located, high temporal-spatial resolution measurements of benthic flow and sediment processes. Here the development of such an instrument, the Acoustic Concentration and Velocity Profiler (ACVP) is described. The theory underpinning its application is outlined, new approaches to velocity de-aliasing and suspended sediment inversion instabilities using multi-frequency capabilities are presented and the application of the system to sediment transport processes over a sandy ripple bed is illustrated. The observations clearly show the value of such instrumentation for studying the dynamical interaction between the bed, the flow and the sediments at and within the bottom boundary layer.
ISSN:0378-3839
1872-7379
DOI:10.1016/j.coastaleng.2011.01.006