Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The ocean, with its intricate processes, plays a pivotal role in shaping marine life, habitats, and the Earth’s climate. This study addresses issues such as beach erosion, the survival of propagules from species like Posidonia oceanica, and nutrient distribution. To tackle these challenges, we propose an innovative sensor that quantifies hydrodynamic velocity by measuring the output voltage derived from detecting changes in light absorption and scattering using LEDs and LDRs. Our results not only demonstrate the effectiveness of the sensor but also the accuracy of the processing algorithm. Notably, the blue LED exhibited the lowest mean relative error of 7.59% in freshwater, while the yellow LED was most precise in chlorophyll-containing water, with a mean relative error of 6.80%. In a runoff simulation, we observed similar velocities with the blue, green, and white LEDs, 6.89 cm/s, 6.99 cm/s, and 7.05 cm/s, respectively, for nearly identical time intervals. It is important to highlight that our proposed sensor is not only effective but also highly cost-efficient, representing less than 0.43% of the cost of a Nortek Vector 6 MHz and 0.18% of the Teledyne Workhorse II 300 kHz Marine. This makes it a key tool for managing marine ecosystems sustainably.
Source: Sensors
DOI: 10.3390/s24216868
Authors: Vinie Lee Silva Alvarado, Arman Heydari, Lorena Parra, Jaime Lloret, Jesus Tomas
Language: English
Subfield: Water Science and Technology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life below water
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,955
Funder: Generalitat Valenciana
OpenAlex ID: W4403836033