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Continental
The Continental is a current profiler designed to get the 200-250 m range required for a offshore deployment. The more than 100 units found out in the field have been used from the Equator to the Arctic and the results show great range, great data quality, great reliability, and low maintenance.
The Continental comes in two frequencies, the 190 kHz version that is used for maximum (vertical) profiling range and the 470 kHz unit that is mostly used in 2D horizontal applications due to the narrow beam width and long profiling range in shallow water. In either case, you get the full advantage of affordable prices, flexible hardware with extra sensor interfaces, titanium and plastic housings, and an excellent software suite to control the instrument in online or stand-alone applications. The Nortek power management is included in the Continental, allowing stand-alone deployments from 3–12 months depending on battery options and range requirements.
All models come standard with compass, tilt, pressure, and temperature sensors and an internal recorder. Optional equipment includes larger recorders for longer deployment and external battery housings that do not interfere with the compass located in the low-profile Continental housing.
Applications
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The Continental is used both in online projects and in stand-alone applications. The most common use is in bottom or subsurface configurations where the instrument is mounted upward, profiling the current from the instrument toward the surface. In addition to the current profiler, you need a third party deployment frame and possibly an acoustic release system to retrieve the instrument. The data collected during the deployment are retrieved from the solid state recorder at the end of the deployment and can be displayed in programs such as Surge. In surface buoy applications, the data can be collected in real time and transmitted to a shore station using radio or satellite communication. In 2D applications, the Continental is equipped with 2 beams rather than the standard 3. The instrument is mounted horizontally on the channel or pier wall and profiles the 2D current along a horizontal segment. This application is common for navigation channels and at the entrance of ports. The most common 2D instrument is the 470kHz model, with extra large transducers to ensure maximum range, even in shallow water.
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| The data shown in the image below were collected from a subsurface buoy deployed 175m below the surface in Ofoten, Norway. The color contour plot shows the average East/West component of thecurrents over a 10-day period. The aim of the study was to better understand the migration of spawning herring, which shows up as a strong signal in the acoustic intensity data. Click on the image to see a larger version. |
