November 2009

Chris Brings Super Power Support to the Gulf Coast Community!

Please welcome Chris Malzone back to NortekUSA.  Chris joins us with super enthusiasm and experience to provide top notch service to our wide variety of important clients in the Gulf Coast academic, commercial and government communities.  Please give Chris a call (410-295-3733 ext. 3) to welcome him to our team (or poke fun of him for this photo from a "super hero" theme party)! 

New Product Sneek Preview -- Aquadopp "Z-Cell" Profiler!

The Z-Cell is a novel 6-beam, two-frequency, acoustic Doppler current profiler that effectively eliminates the blanking distance -- allowing you to make measurements in Cell ZERO!  The Z-Cell is an ideal instrument to use on buoy-mounted applications when near-surface observations are very important.  The Z-Cell is also a good choice for bottom-mounted applications when you need to make velocity measurements within the bottom 1 m.  The Z-Cell has been deployed on a NOAA NDBC real-time buoy in the Gulf of Mexico.  The report "Testing and Evaluation of the Z-Cell" was presented at the 2009 OCEANS conference. We will update our product page shortly with more information about the Z-Cell Profiler. Please check back soon and contact your local NortekUSA Regional Manager!

Funding Opportunity -- 2010 NortekUSA Student Equipment Grant

NortekUSA is soliciting innovative proposals from graduate students for the 6th Annual NortekUSA Student Equipment Grant. Students interested in measuring currents or waves in the ocean, beach, estuary, lake or laboratory are encouraged to apply. At least two individual awards will be made to outstanding graduate students involved in any discipline of oceanography or engineering. Projects geared towards innovative coastal engineering or bio-physical applications are especially encouraged to apply.  The proposal deadline is 1 February 2010. 

A New World of Velocity Measurements on Gliders

Nortek has developed Innovative mechanical designs and lower power electronics that have opened new possibilities for academic research and commercial projects to measure current velocity profiles on ocean gliders.  The article "A New World of Velocity Profile Capabilities for Gliders" (3 MB), published in the October 2009 issue of the Marine Technology Reporter, explores three case studies of close academic-commercial collaboration and of how researchers are using Nortek Aquadopp Profilers on various glider platforms.

Real-Time AWAC Data from Duck Field Research Facility

A significant challenge to numerical wave modeling is capturing the dynamics of wave transformation in coastal waters. To collect essential data sets and evaluate numerical wave model performance, the US Army Corps of Engineers developed a real-time cross-shore wave and current array across the energetic shelf environment in Duck, NC.  Real-time AWAC data from one of four AWAC's deployed in the cross-shelf array at the Duck Field Research Facility is now displayed online.  A paper about using the AWAC data to evaluate coastal wave energy dissipation (3 MB) during Hurricane Bill was presented at the 11th International Workshop on Wave Hindcasting and Forecasting (Halifax, October 2009). 

Wavector -- New Wave Analysis Software

Nortek has partnered with WaveForce Technologies to provide you with a new comprehensive directional wave post-processing software toolbox called Wavector.  Wavector is a set of modern ocean wave analysis tools in a convenient user-friendly software package for scientists, engineers, technicians and students.  Wavector is useful for processing wave data collected with the Nortek AWAC, Aquadopp Profiler and Vector Velocimeter.  It may also be used to process data from other sources, such as the freely available NDBC wave archives.  Learn more about the advanced Wavector processing and plotting routines and view a demonstration video of using Wavector!

Pulse Coherent Processing Primer

NortekUSA has published a comprehensive Pulse Coherent Primer document that discusses the basic theory and operation of the Nortek instruments using pulse coherent methods, such as Nortek Vector and Vectrino Velocimeters and the Aquadopp High Resolution (HR) Profiler.  The primer is a must-read document for everyone using these products.  It provides explanations and examples of such common issues such as ambiguity velocity, correlation, and coordinate transforms, and provides some practical deployment considerations.

Equipment Leasing Options

Did you remember that NortekUSA also leases equipment???  NortekUSA leases Doppler gear directly from our own equipment pool.  We provide reasonable prices and excellent customer support.  Consulting companies appreciate the lease-to-own options.  Researchers now have a new equipment paradigm – you can lease equipment for short projects or increase the number of instruments for larger projects.  Contact us for more details!

Upcoming Conferences 

Join NortekUSA staff at the following conferences:

• QARTOD -- Atlanta, GA
• MACOORA Annual Meeting -- Norfolk, VA
• AGU Ocean Sciences -- Portland, OR
• National Conference on Beach Preservation Technology -- Melbourne, FL
• MTS Buoy Workshop -- Monterey, CA

Join the Nortek Community on Facebook

You are invited to join the new Nortek Global Ocean Community Facebook group! This is a great way to post your photos, videos, and share experiences with other Nortek users. It is also an easy way to exchange information and keep you up to date on new Nortek upgrades, software/firmware releases, and fun events near you.  Our intent is that this will be a place for behind-the-scenes communications, some fun and games, and a place to talk to the people that are part of our community.  See you there :)