Long-term measurement of stream flow and salinity in a tidal river by the use of the fluvial acoustic tomography system

Abstract

Summary Long-term variation of stream flow of a tidal river was measured by an innovative technology, called the fluvial acoustic tomography (FAT). The reciprocal sound transmission was performed between two acoustic stations, located on both sides of the river. Even in the tidal river with the periodic intrusion of salt wedges, the cross-sectional average velocities along the river stream axis, estimated from the travel time difference data, were consistent with the average velocities, observed by an array of moored downward-looking ADCPs. The cross-sectional average salinity was also estimated by using the mean travel time data collected from the reciprocal sound transmission, the mean values of temperature measured by the conductivity–temperature (C–T) sensors, and the ray simulation result. The derived salinity data from the FAT are comparable with that obtained by the C–T sensors. It is concluded that the fluvial acoustic tomography (FAT) is a prospective method for the continuous monitoring of tidal river discharge and temperature/salinity variations.