Low-Cost Pressure Gauges for Measuring Water Waves

Temple, Nigel; Webb, Bret M.; Sparks, Eric; Linhoss, Anna

doi:10.2112/jcoastres-d-19-00118.1

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Second, the station itself could also serve as a host to other instruments, including tools to measure sediment concentration in overwashing flows (e.g. Eidam et al 2020), meteorological sensors (air temperature and pressure), and open-source pressure transducers for measurement of groundwater dynamics (Temple et al 2020). Third, the station camera took 60-second video clips every 15 minutes during the three storm events.…”

Section: Future Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote bed-level change and overwash observation with low-cost ultrasonic distance sensors

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Few datasets exist of high-frequency, in situ measurements of storm overwash, an essential mechanism for the subaerial maintenance of barrier islands and spits. Here we describe a new sensor platform for measuring bed-level change and estimating overwash inundation depths. Our MeOw (Measuring Overwash) stations consist of two ultrasonic distance sensors, a microprocessor board, and a camera and are capable of withstanding the impacts of large storm events, can be left unattended to collect data for months to years, and are relatively inexpensive. With the exception of the camera, the MeOw stations are built with all open-source hardware and software. Herein we provide complete instructions for manufacturing the MeOw stations and present observations from a single MeOw station for a three-month (2019) deployment on a frequently overwashed section of Smith Island, VA. The MeOw stations captured three large storm events over the course of the deployment (Hurricane Dorian, Tropical Storm Melissa, and a November nor’easter), as well as several high-tide events. Based on our interpretation of the raw data, bed-level changes occurred throughout the deployment from both storm and non-storm overwash, but were particularly large during Tropical Storm Melissa where initial accretion of approximately 0.15 m was followed by 0.77 m of erosion over three days. The maximum overwash inundation depth occurred during the nor’easter and measured approximately 0.83 m. The variability in bed level over the course of our experiment highlights the importance of in situ high frequency bed-level measurements for constraining overwash inundation depths. MeOw stations are ideally suited for measuring storm overwash — or any process that necessitates tracking bed and water level elevations at high frequency during harsh conditions.

show abstract

Section: Future Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote bed-level change and overwash observation with low-cost ultrasonic distance sensors

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A total of 30 pressure sensor-based wave gauges were constructed and deployed in the field during summer 2018 (May to September) following the methods described by Temple et al (2020). As the number of gauges that could be deployed simultaneously was limited, the specific timing of gauge deploy ments was selected to maximize potential wave events and comparability between sites, and to reduce potential logistical issues (e.g.…”

Section: Wave Data Collection and Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous efforts to measure waves have been limited due, in part, to the high cost of commercial wave gauges. However, recent technological advances now permit the construction of high-quality wave gauges at a fraction of the cost of commercial gauges (Temple et al 2020). In this study, these gauges were used to collect wave data from 60 sites within Mobile Bay and surrounding tributaries in Alabama, USA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of two fringing salt marsh plant species along a wave climate gradient

Temple

Sparks

Webb

et al. 2021

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Salt marshes are increasingly valued for their role in coastal defense. In particular, marsh plants slow the progression of waves, thereby decreasing wave heights, orbital velocities and associated energy. Practical application of these effects has driven substantial research estimating the effects of plants on waves. However, the effects of waves on plants remain understudied, especially regarding plant responses along a wave climate gradient. To begin to understand these responses, we collected above- and belowground plant data and wave data from 60 sites across Mobile Bay, USA, and tributaries and evaluated plant responses along the range of assessed wave climate conditions. Plant responses among the dominant species, Juncus roemerianus and Spartina alterniflora, varied along the wave climate gradient. However, the basal diameter of shoots in both species declined linearly with increasing wave climate. While wave climate had no observable effect on other S. alterniflora parameters, the declining diameter of J. roemerianus shoots along the same gradient was commensurate with a decline in the percentage of live canopy shoots aboveground and an increase in root and rhizome biomass in the active rooting zone belowground. In contrast to previous studies, other responses including the height, biomass and density of aboveground shoots in both species were not related to wave climate. More broadly, these results demonstrate that plant features important for wave attenuation such as shoot diameter can change in response to varying wave conditions. These feedbacks should be incorporated to improve coastal modeling and successes of coastal conservation, restoration and enhancement projects.

show abstract

“…Advances in open-source microcontrollers and single board computers have made instrument design and construction increasingly affordable and accessible to non-expert users. A growing number of projects have successfully leveraged Arduino, Raspberry PI, and other platforms in development of low-cost, open-source sensors for water-quality and hydrodynamics in lakes and oceans (e.g., Pearce, 2012;Bardaji et al, 2016;Godoy et al, 2018;Zhu et al, 2020;Koydemir et al, 2019;Kitchener et al, 2019;Temple et al, 2020;Lyman et al, 2020;Reeves et al, 2021;Kinar and Brinkmann, 2021). Because the heart of an OBS is a infrared light emitting diode and photodiode, which simply pro--4-please note that this is a non-peer reviewed EarthArXiv preprint vide a voltage reading with a generally linear response to the parameter of interest (see Downing, 2006 and section 2), the OBS is a prime candidate for re-development as an open-source instrument.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

OpenOBS: Open-source, low-cost optical backscatter sensors for water quality and sediment-transport research

Eidam¹,

Langhorst²,

Goldstein³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Optical backscatter sensors (OBSs) are commonly used to measure the turbidity, or light obscuration, of water in fresh and marine environments and various industrial applications. These turbidity measurements are commonly calibrated to yield total suspended solids (TSS) or suspended sediment concentration (SSC) measurements for water quality, sediment transport, and diverse other research and environmental management applications. Commercial sensors generally cost >$1000-3000. Here we leveraged simple, low-cost microprocessors, electronics, and housing components to design and construct open-source OBSs for <$150 per unit. The circuit relies on a photodiode to sense the backscattered light, two stages of signal amplification, and a high resolution analogue-to-digital convert to read the detected value. The instrument and logger utilize inexpensive, custom-printed circuit boards with through-hole soldering mounts; micro-SD card reader and real-time clock modules; and PVC housings with commercial end caps and epoxy-potted diode emitter and receiver. All parts are readily and publicly available, and minimal experience in soldering and coding is required to build and deploy the sensor. In lab and field tests, standard deviations were comparable to those measured by commercial sensors (~2-3% of the mean for suspended muds and 20-30% for suspended sands). These open-source sensors represent a useful advance in inexpensive sensing technology with broad applications across scientific and environmental management disciplines.

show abstract

Low-Cost Pressure Gauges for Measuring Water Waves

Cited by 21 publications

References 17 publications

Remote bed-level change and overwash observation with low-cost ultrasonic distance sensors

Remote bed-level change and overwash observation with low-cost ultrasonic distance sensors

Responses of two fringing salt marsh plant species along a wave climate gradient

OpenOBS: Open-source, low-cost optical backscatter sensors for water quality and sediment-transport research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About