PREP_RVF_vmadcp-calibration-routine.pdf: Entry Information

In this report, the vessel mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (VM-ADCP) capabilities of R/V SOCIB are presented. After a brief discussion of ADCP principles, the report begins by presenting early tests (December 2012), following delivery/acceptance of the vessel and its arrival in its home port of Palma de Mallorca, Section 2. These initial tests were limited to system tests of the electronics, whilst alongside, and short duration inspections of current profiles whilst at sea in and around the bay of Palma at a variety of vessel speeds. The report then discusses the critical importance of high quality navigation and heading data in section 3, before introducing the calibration procedures for installation errors in section 4. Section 5 presents a collection of VM-ADCP data from two of R/V SOCIB’s scientific research cruises indicating the world class data collection capability on board the vessel. The considerations of problems specific to small vessels are addressed in section 6, where the role of pitch and roll are specifically examined. In sections 8 and 9, real-time and delayed mode VM-ADCP data processing is discussed and SOCIB’s routine operating procedures are presented. Finally, in section 9, the envisaged routes to dissemination for the SOCIB Data Centre Facility (DCF) are presented and discussed.