Wullenweber Nellie, Hole Lars R, Ghaffari Peygham, Graves Inger, Tholo Harald, Camus Lionel
Plentzia Marine Station (PiE-UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country, 48620 Plentzia, Spain.
National Oceanography Center, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
Sensors (Basel). 2022 Jul 25;22(15):5553. doi: 10.3390/s22155553.
This study introduces an alternative to the existing methods for measuring ocean currents based on a recently developed technology. The SailBuoy is an unmanned surface vehicle powered by wind and solar panels that can navigate autonomously to predefined waypoints and record velocity profiles using an integrated downward-looking acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). Data collected on two validation campaigns show a satisfactory correlation between the SailBuoy current records and traditional observation techniques such as bottom-mounted and moored current profilers and moored single-point current meter. While the highest correlations were found in tidal signals, strong current, and calm weather conditions, low current speeds and varying high wave and wind conditions reduced correlation considerably. Filtering out some events with the high sea surface roughness associated with high wind and wave conditions may increase the SailBuoy ADCP listening quality and lead to better correlations. Not yet resolved is a systematic offset between the measurements obtained by the SailBuoy and the reference instruments of ±0.03 m/s. Possible reasons are discussed to be the differences between instruments (various products) as well as changes in background noise levels due to environmental conditions.
本研究基于一项最新开发的技术，介绍了一种现有海流测量方法的替代方案。SailBuoy是一种由风力和太阳能板驱动的无人水面航行器，它能够自主导航至预定义的航路点，并使用集成的下视声学多普勒流速剖面仪（ADCP）记录流速剖面。在两次验证活动中收集的数据显示，SailBuoy的海流记录与传统观测技术（如底部安装和系泊的流速剖面仪以及系泊单点流速计）之间具有令人满意的相关性。虽然在潮汐信号、强流和平静天气条件下相关性最高，但低流速以及不同的高浪和大风条件会显著降低相关性。滤除一些与高风浪条件相关的高海面粗糙度事件，可能会提高SailBuoy ADCP的监听质量，并带来更好的相关性。SailBuoy测量值与参考仪器测量值之间存在±0.03 m/s的系统偏差问题尚未解决。讨论了可能的原因，包括仪器（各种产品）之间存在差异以及环境条件导致背景噪声水平发生变化。
