AQUAscat

The AQUAscat 1000 represents a new generation of high frequency acoustic instrumentation. It has applications in sediment transport studies, including measurement of suspended sediment profiles, ripple bed morphology, precision altimetry, dredge plumes and turbulence.

The AQUAscat transmits pulses of high frequency sound on up to four transducers, each of which may operate at a different frequency. It measures the sound scattered by sediment or other suspended materials at discrete spatial intervals programmable from around 2½ millimetres to several centimetres. For altimetry, this may span a few tens of centimetres; for monitoring sediment suspension profiles, a total range of around 1- 2 metres is typical; while dredge plume estimation may extend to 20 metres.

The instrument may be supplied in a subsea housing suitable for long-term unattended deployments. There is also a laboratory version of the instrument, supplied in a bench-top instrument case. Batteries for various deployment schedules are available to order.