Development and Testing of Simple Deep-Drifting Shearmeters

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9416014 Duda The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will undertake an oceanographic technology project to design, construct, and test a new type of deep ocean shearmeter drifter. The measurement of shear (the vertical gradient of horizontal velocity) in the deep ocean is scientifically important, but has always been difficult and expensive using existing technologies. The 10 m-long drifters will be simple in design, will have no moving parts, and will convert shear to a measurable signal via their dynamics. They will be able to measure shear at a 10 meter vertical separation while deployed at depths up to 5 km. In addition, the drifters will be able to remain deployed for up to a year. They will consist of a rotating vertical cylinder driven by flow past vanes at either end. The rigidly mounted vanes will provide dynamic interaction with the moving water. The inclination of the long cylinder, as the result of shear, will be measured by a sensitive on board tiltmeter and related to shear direction and intensity. Prototype testing will be done in test tanks and at a test facility in Seneca Lake, N.Y.