ADCP – Acoustic measurements of the current profile

An acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) uses emitted sound pulses to determine the velocities of water masses at different depths. Based on the reflected signal, the instrument calculates the horizontal flow components based on the frequency shift and the acoustic backscatter intensity. The individual depth ranges are combined into a vertical flow profile using the echo transit time.

Operating an ADCP on a ship requires high-precision position and course data in order to correctly calculate the ship’s movements. Teledyne RDI Ocean Surveyor ADCPs with frequencies of 38 or 75 kHz are used as standard on oceanographic research vessels. These systems are specially designed for measurements from moving vessels and are characterised by long ranges and high data quality, even under demanding conditions.

The flow data obtained is central to understanding ocean circulation, mixing processes and transport routes – key factors for recording and modelling changes in the ocean and climate system.

The data steward responsible for ADCP data is Robert Kopte from Christian Albrecht University in Kiel and Kiel Marine Sciences, who has a background in physical oceanography. His main tasks include quality assurance of raw data, the application of established processing chains, the management of standardised metadata and the provision of final data sets. In addition, he is the central contact person for questions regarding the operation and configuration of the ADCP systems as well as the processing and archiving of ADCP data, and ensures that the data remains consistent, reproducible and scientifically usable in the long term.

[SOPs | ADCP Data Workflow | Software | PANGAEA Wiki | Data records]