Applying Mass Conservation to ADCP-data

Abstract

Adding mass constraints to existing ADCP-data results in improved velocity estimates in various transducer configurations. The problem of estimating vertical velocity with a conventional set-up in horizontally dominant flow is that inhomogenities in the horizontal velocities can cause relatively large errors in the vertical velocity estimate. A possible solution to obtain more accurate vertical velocity estimates using mass constraints is introduced. The corrected data is compared to the original uncorrected data. Then a novel configuration of transducers that is a combination of multiple transducer-receivers in a buckyball set up is discussed. Mass constraints are applied to synthetic data of this set up, and this leads in various circumstances to improved estimates. Also discussed is a proof of concept showing the ability of this set up to measure the shearing motion of internal waves.