Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler V18

BEP at Endurance Offshore
Shallow Profiler on the Move

The three winched shallow profilers are located at 200 m water depth. The winched science pod make 9 trips a day from the 12 ft across, 7 ton mooring platform to ~10 m beneath the oceans' surface, depending on wave conditions. The science pods host CTD-O2, pH, CO2, nitrate, optical attenuation, spectral irradiance, PAR, fluormeter, and current meter and temperature sensors. All data are streamed live to shore via the cable. The science pod operations are controlled at the UW Operations Center. Each pod has made >1600 cycles throught the water column. Credit: University of Washington/CSSF.

Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) provide a 3D water-current velocity for a small volume of the overlying water column by making very high-frequency acoustic (75 kHz to 600 kHz) doppler shift measurements. An instrument with a particular frequency is most suitable for a given environment, hence, there are multiple types of instruments on the Cabled Array based on water depth of deployment.

Upward Looking ADCPs on the Cabled Array include:

  • A Teledyne RDI - WorkHorse LongRanger Monitor 75 khz; this instrument is installed to plumes of methane bubbles issuing from seeps at Southern Hydrate Ridge
  • A Teledyne RDI - Workhorse Quartermaster Monitor 75 kHz instrument installed as part of the Oregon Offshore Benthic Experiment Package
  • Teledyne RDI - Workhorse Quartermaster Monitor 150 kHz instruments installed at the Slope Base and Axial Base seafloor sites
  • A Teledyne RDI - Workhorse Quartermaster Monitor 300 kHz instrument installed at the Oregon Shelf sealoor site as part of the Benthic Experiment Platform, and 
  • Teledyne RDI custom 5-Beam Vertical beam (600 kHz) ADCPs installed on the Platform Interface Assemblies on the Shallow Profiler Moorings at Slope Base and Axial Base