Ship‐Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP): Characteristics and Field Applications to Measure Coastal Hydrodynamics

Abstract

The Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) is an oceanographic instrument used to measure water currents in different aquatic environments. In this article, we provide the main characteristics of the ADCP and describe, for the first time in the Gulf of Oristano (W‐Sardinia, Italy), a field application to characterize the 3D circulation of shallow waters. Current data were acquired in situ along several transects from the water's surface to the sea bottom during calm weather and good sea conditions and compared to numerical studies. This article reveals a predominantly clockwise circulation with water entering the Gulf from one Cape and exiting from the other, and a small anticlockwise eddy in the inner northeast sector of the gulf. Outside the gulf, the current was directed toward the southeast at the surface, directly forced by the wind, and toward the northeast below the surface. The collection of such hydrodynamic data allows us to verify operational numerical forecasting ocean systems implemented at larger spatial scales. Furthermore, the ease of use of the ADCP and the high quality of the data acquired demonstrate the feasibility of this system on any vessel of opportunity, since environmental monitoring assessment and Blue Economy implementation require high‐resolution data especially in coastal areas.