Geology Reports⌕ Search
Home/Archive/USGS

USGS · wsp1869B

Effect of vertical motion on current meters

Nicholas A. Kallio
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The effect of vertical motion on the performance of current meters at various stream velocities was evaluated to determine whether accurate discharge measurements can be made from a bobbing boat. Three types of current meters--Ott, Price, and vane types--were tested under conditions simulating a bobbing boat. A known frequency and amplitude of vertical motion were imparted to the current meter, and the related effect on the measured stream velocity was determined. One test of the Price meter was made under actual conditions, using a boat and standard measuring gear. The results of the test under actual conditions verified those obtained by simulating the vertical movements of a boat. The tests show that for stream velocities below 2.5 feet per second the accuracy of all three meters is significantly affected when the meters are subjected to certain conditions of vertical motion that can occur during actual field operations. Both the rate of vertical motion and the frequency of vertical oscillation affect the registration of the meter. The results of these tests, presented in the form of graphs and tables, can be used as a guide to determine whether wind and stream flow are within an acceptable range for a reliable discharge measurement from a boat.

Explore related subjects

Water Supply PaperReport

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Nicholas A. Kallio. 1966. Effect of vertical motion on current meters. https://doi.org/10.3133/wsp1869b

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related USGS reports

USGS2004

Basic ground-water hydrology

Ground water is one of the Nation's most valuable natural resources. It is the source of about 40 percent of the water used for all purposes exclusive of hydropower generation and electric powerplant cooling. Surprisingly, for a resource that is so widely used and so important to the health and to the economy of the country, the occurrence of ground water is not only poorly understood but is also, in fact, the subject of many widespread misconceptions. Common misconceptions include the belief that ground water occurs in underground rivers resembling surface streams whose presence can be detected by certain individuals. These misconceptions and others have hampered the development and conservation of ground water and have adversely affected the protection of its quality. In order for the Nation to receive maximum benefit from its ground-water resource, it is essential that everyone, from the rural homeowner to managers of industrial and municipal water supplies to heads of Federal and State water-regulatory agencies, become more knowledgeable about the occurrence, development, and protection of ground water. This report has been prepared to help meet the needs of these groups, as well as the needs of hydrologists, well drillers, and others engaged in the study and development of ground-water supplies. It consists of 45 sections on the basic elements of ground-water hydrology, arranged in order from the most basic aspects of the subject through a discussion of the methods used to determine the yield of aquifers to a discussion of common problems encountered in the operation of ground-water supplies. Each section consists of a brief text and one or more drawings or maps that illustrate the main points covered in the text. Because the text is, in effect, an expanded discussion of the illustrations, most of the illustrations are not captioned. However, where more than one drawing is included in a section, each drawing is assigned a number, given in parentheses, and these numbers are inserted at places in the text where the reader should refer to the drawing. In accordance with U.S. Geological Survey policy to encourage the use of metric units, these units are used in most sections. In the sections dealing with the analysis of aquifer (pumping) test data, equations are given in both consistent units and in the inconsistent inch-pound units still in relatively common use among ground-water hydrologists and well drillers. As an aid to those who are not familiar with metric units and with the conversion of ground-water hydraulic units from inch-pound units to metric units, conversion tables are given on the inside back cover. Definitions of ground-water terms are given where the terms are first introduced. Because some of these terms will be new to many readers, abbreviated definitions are also given on the inside front cover for convenient reference by those who wish to review the definitions from time to time as they read the text. Finally, for those who need to review some of the simple mathematical operations that are used in ground-water hydrology, a section on numbers, equations, and conversions is included at the end of the text.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS2001

Validation of a numerical modeling method for simulating rainfall-runoff relations for headwater basins in western King and Snohomish Counties, Washington

The validity of a previously determined numerical modeling method was assessed. Numerical models for 11 drainage basins were constructed with the Hydrologic Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF) with parameter values that were generalized for the physiographic region. Large and recurrent simulation errors were initially identified, but three systematic modifications of the models corrected those errors for 10 out of the 11 basins. The validity of the numerical modeling method for simulating rainfall-runoff relations in the study area, as modified during this investigation, was not rejected, but observed streamflow data were needed to apply the method.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS2001

Sediment-quality assessment of Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake and the upstream reach of the Columbia River, Washington, 1992

Elevated concentrations of trace elements were found in bed sediment of Lake Roosevelt and the Columbia River, its principal source of inflow. Trace-element concentrations in whole water samples did not exceed criteria for freshwater organisms. Bed sediments of Lake Roosevelt were analyzed for organic compounds associated with wood-pulp waste. Dioxins and furans were found in suspended sediment and water of the Columbia River. Abundance and diversity of benthic invertebrate communities were analyzed.

Water Supply Paper↗