Field evaluation of boat-mounted acoustic Doppler instruments used to measure streamflow

• Published in: Proceedings of the IEEE/OES Seventh Working Conference on Current Measurement Technology, 2003 pp. 30 - 34
• Main Author: Mueller, D.S.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 2003
• Subjects: Acoustic measurements; Boats; Current measurement; Geologic measurements; Geology; Instruments; Manufacturing; Measurement standards; Software measurement; Velocity measurement
• ISBN: 9780780378131; 078037813X
• DOI: 10.1109/CCM.2003.1194278

The use of. instruments based on the Doppler principle for measuring water velocity and computing discharge is common within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The instruments and software have changed appreciably during the last 5 years; therefore, the USGS has begun field validation or the instruments used to make discharge measurements from a moving boat. Instruments manufactured by SonTek/YSI and RD Instruments, Inc. were used to collect discharge data at five different sites. One or more traditional discharge measurements were made using a Price AA current meter and standard USGS procedures concurrent with the acoustic instruments at each site. Discharges measured with the acoustic instruments were compared with discharges measured with Price AA current meters and the USGS stage-discharge rating for each site. The mean discharges measured by each acoustic instrument were within 5 percent of the Price AA-based measurement and (or) discharge from the stage-discharge rating.