Multi-dimensional representation of river hydrodynamics using ADCP data processing software

Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) are increasingly popular in the river research and management communities being primarily used for estimation of stream flows. ADCPs capabilities, however, entail additional features that are not fully explored and encapsulated in the ADCP manufacturers' companion software. The paper introduces a unifying software that enable users to extract additional information from ADCP measurements. The paper provides the underlying algorithms on which the software is based and illustrates the multidimensional visualization and processing capabilities of the software. Among the software features are: velocity representation in horizontal and vertical planes, 1D/2D/3D velocity plotting at reach scale, time and spatial averaging, gridded velocity interpolation, and velocity-derived quantities relevant to river hydrodynamics (bed shear stress, longitudinal dispersion coefficient, and turbulence quantities). (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.