How do we track Nieuw Nickerie coastal currents?

1. Where is Nieuw Nickerie?

Nieuw Nickerie, which lies on the west coast of Suriname, is very strategically placed on the Atlantic Ocean. The town lies near the mouth of the Nickerie River, and the river plays an important role in the coastal environment within the region. The Nickerie River, which originates in the interior of Suriname, discharges enormous volumes of freshwater into the sea, creating a characteristic environment at the river - sea boundary.

Geologically, the area around Nieuw Nickerie is characterized by flat low - lying plains. The coastal belt is a mixture of sandy beaches, mudflats, and extensive tracts of mangrove forests. The mangrove forests not only play a vital part in maintaining ecological balance but also act as a natural barrier against coastal erosion. They provide habitat to a variety of marine and terrestrial flora and fauna, including fish, crabs, and other bird species.

Nieuw Nickerie is full of history. The native population was the initial one to settle in the territory, and their influence is felt even today in regional customs, artwork, and folklore. European settlers, primarily the Dutch, arrived in the 17th century. They established plantations, primarily sugarcane and coffee plantations, that greatly contributed to the regional economy and social structure. The city's architecture and cultural traditions still show this colonial influence.

Today, Nieuw Nickerie's economy is a combination of fishing, agriculture, and small-scale industries. Agriculture, especially the cultivation of rice and fruits, remains a prominent sector. The fishing industry is also thriving, with local fishermen catching a variety of fish species in the waters around them.

2. What are the coastal currents along Nieuw Nickerie?

The nearshore currents off Nieuw Nickerie are governed by the interaction of an intricate set of factors. River discharge at Nickerie has a dominant control. The steep rate of input of freshwater to the Atlantic Ocean creates a plume. It impacts coastal density and salinity, thereby causing a coastal current independent of ambient oceanic flows. The size and shape of the plume will vary according to the river flow rate, which in turn depends on seasonal patterns of precipitation in the Nickerie River basin.

Atlantic Ocean tides are dominant. The semi-diurnal tide generates typical variations in water level. Spring tide creates increased gravitational attraction between sun and moon, producing higher tidal currents. These tidal currents interact with river-plume current, which forms part of the total flow of coastal water.

prevailing winds in the region, the northeasterly trade winds, push the surface waters towards the west. The wind - driven current commingles with the river - plume current and tidal currents. The commixture creates a complex pattern of the flow of water. The topography of the bottom, varying depths and seafloor impediments such as sandbars, channels, and reefs, contributes to the complexity of the coastal currents as well. These submerged structures can channel or interfere with the flow of the currents, creating eddies and other sophisticated flow patterns.

3. How to observe Nieuw Nickerie's coastal water flow?

Surface Drifting Buoy Method

The surface drifting buoy method is an old way of monitoring coastal water flow. Scientists deploy buoys that carry tracking devices into the ocean. By tracking the movements of such buoys over time, they can map out the surface currents' speed and direction. The technique is limited. It will only report on the top layer of water column, and the buoys are quite susceptible to disturbance from wind. Wind will force the buoys in a direction that won't represent actual movement of bottom currents.

Moored Ship Method

The moored ship method involves using a moored ship as a platform to record the currents. Instruments are dropped from the ship to record measurements of the water flow at various depths. Though the method can be utilized to obtain accurate vertical profiles of the currents, the method has some disadvantages. Geographical coverage is restricted to the proximity of the moored ship, and the existence of the ship could interrupt the natural flow of the water, thus the accuracy of the measurements. Ship-long term mooring can also prove to be practically challenging and costly.

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) Method

ADCP current profiler has proven to be a more advanced and efficient instrument for coastal current measurements. ADCPs have the ability to measure currents of water over large vertical ranges with high-resolution details of the water column's velocity structure. ADCPs can be mounted on varied platforms, for example, on ships, on buoys, and at the seafloor. ADCPs mounted on ships have the ability to sample data as they move continuously over a large surface in a fairly short period. Bottom - mounted ADCPs can provide long - term, fixed - location measurements, allowing researchers to study long - term trends in the coastal currents.

4. How do ADCPs using the Doppler principle work?

ADCPs operate according to the Doppler principle. They emit sound signals into water. The sound signals bounce back from suspended objects such as sediment, plankton, or air bubbles in water. If there is motion of water, then the frequency of the bounced back signals is different. Through detection of this change in frequency, the ADCP flow meter can measure the speed of water relative to the instrument.

Most ADCPs possess multiple transducer beams, more than four typically, with different orientations. The multi-beam configuration is employed to estimate the three-dimensional speed of water. By combining the signals of these beams, the ADCP can build an accurate picture of the current velocity at different levels in the water column. The data collected by the ADCP may be processed in real-time or stored for later analysis, providing valuable information regarding the dynamics of the coastal currents.

5. What's required for high - quality measurement of Nieuw Nickerie coastal currents?

In order to make high-quality measurements of Nieuw Nickerie's coastal currents possible, the measuring gear must possess certain salient features. The equipment should be made of durable materials, it should be small in size, be lightweight, require little power, and be cheap. These properties facilitate the possibility of deploying hundreds of instruments for full spatial coverage.

Titanium alloy casings ADCPs are highly recommended. Titanium alloy has excellent resistance to corrosion, which is a vital condition for long - term exposure in the marine corrosive environment. Titanium alloy is resistant to the corrosive effects of saltwater and cannot degrade the ADCP internal electronics. In addition, titanium alloy is lightweight yet very tough and portable, which guarantees the ADCP instrument. This set of properties makes it possible to measure the coastal currents close to Nieuw Nickerie accurately and over a long period.

6. How to select the proper equipment for current measurement?

Selection Based on Usage

The choice of ADCP is made based on its application. Ship-mounted ADCPs are ideal for ship-borne measurements. They can provide continuous data as the ship moves up and down on the water, traveling a vast distance within relatively little time. Bottom-mounted ADCPs are suited for longer periods of monitoring over a specific area. They are capable of providing continuous data for an extended amount of time, allowing scientists to study long-term patterns in coastal currents. Floating ADCPs are ideal for monitoring the movement of water masses over large regions, offering useful information regarding large - scale circulation patterns.

Selection Based on Depth

The ADCP frequency must also be decided based on the depth of water. For depths less than 70m, 600kHz ADCPs are appropriate. They can be utilized to take high-resolution measurements in shallow waters. For depths up to 110m, 300kHz ADCPs are appropriate. For deeper waters, ranging up to 1000m, 75kHz ADCPs are most appropriate.

There are several well-known ADCP brands available in the market, such as Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. But for budget - conscious users, the ADCP supplier China Sonar's PandaADCP is a good option. Made entirely of titanium alloy, it works well at low cost. It is a good option for users who are tight on budget but still want to have effective ADCPs to measure coastal currents. Further information is available on their website: https://china-sonar.com/.

Here is a table with some well known ADCP instrument brands and models.