Physics‐Informed Estimation of Tidal and Subtidal Flow Fields From ADCP Repeat Transect Data
Abstract Acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) are a global standard in observing flow fields in rivers, estuaries and the coastal ocean. To date, it remains a labor intensive challenge to isolate mean flow fields governed by river discharge, tides and atmospheric forcing on the one hand, from...
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| Format: | Article |
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Wiley
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Water Resources Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036038 |
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| author | H. Jongbloed B. Vermeulen A. J. F. Hoitink |
| author_facet | H. Jongbloed B. Vermeulen A. J. F. Hoitink |
| author_sort | H. Jongbloed |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) are a global standard in observing flow fields in rivers, estuaries and the coastal ocean. To date, it remains a labor intensive challenge to isolate mean flow fields governed by river discharge, tides and atmospheric forcing on the one hand, from small‐scale turbulence, positioning imprecision, Doppler noise and erroneous backscatter, on the other hand. Here, we introduce a generic, new method of combining raw shipborne ADCP transect data with continuity and smoothness constraints to obtain better estimates of turbulence‐averaged three‐dimensional flow velocities in any type of open water body. The physical constraints are enforced with variable relative importance via generalized Tikhonov regularization. We demonstrate that in complex estuarine flow, this procedure allows for more reliable estimates of tidal amplitudes, phases and their gradients than what is possible with a purely data‐based approach, by testing the method's generalization capabilities and robustness to turbulence and measurement noise on a data set retrieved at a tidal channel junction. The increased adherence to mass conservation and robustness to noise of various kinds allows for more reliable and verifiable estimates of Reynolds‐averaged flow components, and subsequently, of terms in the Navier‐Stokes equations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c580fa5ff7834d4dbcfba7651e0c8715 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0043-1397 1944-7973 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Resources Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-c580fa5ff7834d4dbcfba7651e0c87152025-08-20T02:09:28ZengWileyWater Resources Research0043-13971944-79732025-01-01611n/an/a10.1029/2023WR036038Physics‐Informed Estimation of Tidal and Subtidal Flow Fields From ADCP Repeat Transect DataH. Jongbloed0B. Vermeulen1A. J. F. Hoitink2Hydrology and Environmental Hydraulics Wageningen University and Research Wageningen NetherlandsHydrology and Environmental Hydraulics Wageningen University and Research Wageningen NetherlandsHydrology and Environmental Hydraulics Wageningen University and Research Wageningen NetherlandsAbstract Acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) are a global standard in observing flow fields in rivers, estuaries and the coastal ocean. To date, it remains a labor intensive challenge to isolate mean flow fields governed by river discharge, tides and atmospheric forcing on the one hand, from small‐scale turbulence, positioning imprecision, Doppler noise and erroneous backscatter, on the other hand. Here, we introduce a generic, new method of combining raw shipborne ADCP transect data with continuity and smoothness constraints to obtain better estimates of turbulence‐averaged three‐dimensional flow velocities in any type of open water body. The physical constraints are enforced with variable relative importance via generalized Tikhonov regularization. We demonstrate that in complex estuarine flow, this procedure allows for more reliable estimates of tidal amplitudes, phases and their gradients than what is possible with a purely data‐based approach, by testing the method's generalization capabilities and robustness to turbulence and measurement noise on a data set retrieved at a tidal channel junction. The increased adherence to mass conservation and robustness to noise of various kinds allows for more reliable and verifiable estimates of Reynolds‐averaged flow components, and subsequently, of terms in the Navier‐Stokes equations.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036038ADCP processingflow estimationregularizationill‐posed problemsestuaries |
| spellingShingle | H. Jongbloed B. Vermeulen A. J. F. Hoitink Physics‐Informed Estimation of Tidal and Subtidal Flow Fields From ADCP Repeat Transect Data Water Resources Research ADCP processing flow estimation regularization ill‐posed problems estuaries |
| title | Physics‐Informed Estimation of Tidal and Subtidal Flow Fields From ADCP Repeat Transect Data |
| title_full | Physics‐Informed Estimation of Tidal and Subtidal Flow Fields From ADCP Repeat Transect Data |
| title_fullStr | Physics‐Informed Estimation of Tidal and Subtidal Flow Fields From ADCP Repeat Transect Data |
| title_full_unstemmed | Physics‐Informed Estimation of Tidal and Subtidal Flow Fields From ADCP Repeat Transect Data |
| title_short | Physics‐Informed Estimation of Tidal and Subtidal Flow Fields From ADCP Repeat Transect Data |
| title_sort | physics informed estimation of tidal and subtidal flow fields from adcp repeat transect data |
| topic | ADCP processing flow estimation regularization ill‐posed problems estuaries |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036038 |
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