Instruments for Sediment Studies

SediMeter™

Instrument for measuring sedimentation, erosion, siltation, scour, and resuspension. It measures a vertical profile of turbidity, which can be converted to bottom elevation with a resolution of a fraction of a millimeter. It can be used as a network slave controlled by a LogDator or a PC, and some versions include a LogDator logger for self-contained operation. More...

Anchor screw in the foreground, and behind it holder tube, handle, and the SediMeter instrument itself

The original SediMeter™ prototype, mounted on an ooid ridge at Tongue of the Ocean, the Bahamas. The current-rotor option is no longer available since it does not fit on the new, smaller, SediMeter™.

This cast SediMeter sensor can be deployed with the electronic unit either in the water or below the bottom. It can also be mounted against a flat surface, since the head is only 19 mm (3/4") thick. It can be operated in real time mode from a PC, or as a sensor to a LogDator logger.

LogDator™

A network master logger that can control hundreds of SediMeters and other LogDators, and record data from them on memory cards. It can be equipped with optional sensors. The LogDator can be used as a true underwater logger, which can be connected and set up under water. More...

LogDator™ with sensors for light and pressure (for water level, tide, and wave measurements)

The LogDator Buoy was designed for minimizing the operating cost of a monitoring network. A solar panel keeps the batteries charged, and a LogDator stores the data from an entire network on a memory card, with one file per instrument.

SediMeter.exe — the PC software for analyzing data from the SediMeter and LogDator. It converts turbidity data to bottom level.

SediMeter.exe™ Control panel with the Setup tab for setting mission parameters

Corers and Samplers

Axelsson sediment corer. The rectangular shape makes it ideal for quantitative X-ray studies of sediment physical properties, while the open-flow valve makes it suitable for sampling the top loose surface of the sediments. This makes it optimal for studies of recent sedimentation with a resolution of years or parts of years, such as in environmental research.

Nilsson depth-integrating suspended sediment sampler. For analyzing sediment transport in rivers and streams, and for taking a water sample in situ for calibration of turbidimeter measurements. It is light-weight enough to carry in the field, yet stable enough to use in fast streams.

This pressure filtration cylinder can be used in the field to remove the water from the sample. By disposing of the water a field crew may be able to take a hundred times more samples, which significantly improves the quality of the rating curve that can be made. This cylinder has been a de facto standard in Sweden for half a century.