PROJECT

Measuring currents and turbulence in the Swan River

Measuring currents and turbulence in the Swan River

Status: Complete

Researchers

  • Matthew Rayson
    Research Fellow, Centre for Offshore Foundation System, UWA
  • Scott Draper
    Associate Professor, Oceans Graduate School, UWA
  • Nicole Jones
    Associate Professor, Oceans Graduate School, UWA
  • Cynthia Bluteau
    Research Fellow, Oceans Graduate School, UWA
  • Matthew Zed
  • Marshallah Love

Project Summary

The current and turbulence data was used to characterise the relative turbulence input from surface wave whitecapping and bed stresses. Understanding this relative input was important for predicting turbulence and its associated impact on physical and biogeochemical processes in the river. 

This was useful in developing a better parameterisation of these processes in numerical models.

Project updates

North Fremantle Deployment Reveals Currents up to 0.7 m/s 

The Signature 1000 was successfully deployed in North Fremantle over a Spring Neap Cycle in March/April. The location of deployment is shown below. The data recorded currents up to 0.7 m/s on Spring tide! Analysis of the mean currents and turbulence characteristics was undertaken.

Figure 1:   Map showing location of testing; Lowering the device into the river; Example measurements of mean streamwise (u), cross-stream (v) and vertical (w) velocities for 2.5 days during Spring tide