Validation of Streamflow Measurements Made with M9 and RiverRay Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 2
Abstract
The USGS Office of Surface Water (OSW) previously validated the use of Teledyne RD Instruments (TRDI) Rio Grande (in 2007), StreamPro (in 2006), and Broadband (in 1996) acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) for streamflow (discharge) measurements made by the USGS. Two new ADCPs, the SonTek M9 and the TRDI RiverRay, were first used in the USGS Water Mission Area programs in 2009. Since 2009, the OSW and USGS Water Science Centers (WSCs) have been conducting field measurements as part of their stream-gauging program using these ADCPs. The purpose of this paper is to document the results of USGS OSW analyses for validation of M9 and RiverRay ADCP streamflow measurements. The OSW required each participating WSC to make comparison measurements over the range of operating conditions in which the instruments were used until sufficient measurements were available. The performance of these ADCPs was evaluated for validation and to identify any present and potential problems. Statistical analyses of streamflow measurements indicate that measurements made with the SonTek M9 ADCP using firmware 2.00–3.00 or the TRDI RiverRay ADCP using firmware 44.12–44.15 are unbiased and, therefore, can continue to be used to make streamflow measurements in the USGS stream-gauging program. However, for the M9 ADCP, some important issues must be considered in making future measurements. Possible future work may include additional validation of streamflow measurements made with these instruments from other locations in the United States and measurement validation using updated firmware and software.
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Acknowledgments
The USGS OSW provided financial support for the data analysis and reporting. The authors gratefully acknowledge all hydrographers who submitted ADCP streamflow measurement data used for validation to the online data depository. Nick Stasulis (USGS) assisted with the processing and review of comparison measurements. David Mueller and Mike Rehmel from the USGS provided advice and independent review for some data sets and statistical analyses. Tom Over, Tim Cohn, and Julie Kiang from the USGS are gratefully acknowledged for their review and advice regarding the statistical analyses. Angel Martin, Jr., Stacey Archfield, and three anonymous reviewers provided useful comments and suggestions for improving the manuscript.
Disclaimer
The use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. government.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 2 • February 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 29, 2014
Accepted: Jul 26, 2015
Published online: Oct 1, 2015
Published in print: Feb 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Mar 1, 2016
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