SonTek-SL Series Side-Looking Doppler Current Meters
Features
- Accurate & reliable water velocity, level, & discharge measurements
- Measurements are made in a remote sampling volume free from flow distortion
- 3G model offers 128-cells for high-resolution and detailed profiles
- Expedited repair and warranty service
- Lifetime technical support
- More
Overview
The SonTek-SL (affectionately known as the Side-Looker or "SL") has earned worldwide acceptance as a long-term monitoring solution. Now, with two new (3G) models turbo-charged by the proprietary SmartPulseHD, the SonTek-SL features accessories, mounting options, software, and a variety of integration formats to ensure it fits the desired application.
Design
Designed specifically for side mounting on bridges, canal walls, or riverbanks, the SL's sleek, low-profile housing makes installation easy. With three models to choose from, the SL can be used in wide or narrow channels. Ultra narrow beam widths combined with unmatched side lobe suppression provide the superior acoustic directivity necessary for achieving maximum horizontal range free of interference from surface or bottom boundaries.
Mechanics
First time users can collect test data within minutes of receiving the SonTek-SL. Deployments require only a few minutes to configure the SL and start collecting data. This system provides the highest quality Doppler velocity data without requiring the user to become an expert on Doppler technology.
Benefits
- SmartPulseHD (3G models only): An intelligent algorithm that looks at water depth, profiling range, velocity, and turbulence, and then acoustically adapts to those conditions using pulse-coherent, broadband, and incoherent techniques. Best data possible under any condition. High-def cell sizes down to 4 cm.
- Compact, Hydrodynamic Design: Incredibly lightweight and easy to transport and mount. Slim shape is easy to maintain, stays clean, increases available sample area, and fits into more places.
- Water Velocity Profiling: Customizeable, flexible setup options to suit a variety of applications. 3G models offer 128-cells for high-resolution and detailed profiles.
- Acoustic-Pressure "Duo" Water Level (3G models only): Not only redundant sources of water level, the acoustic vertical beam and pressure sensor continually self-check, and pressure data are auto-corrected to keep atmospheric offset negligible.
- Versatile, Easy Mounting: Easy-access side mounting reduces concerns over personnel safety, lowers operational cost by avoiding divers and boats, avoids interruption in facility operations, and avoids interruption in data and water delivery to clients and stakeholders.
- Wave Spectra Option: Integrated pressure sensor calculates and outputs wave-height and period, in real-time.
Select Options
In The News
Sargassum Surge: How Seaweed is Transforming our Oceans and Coastal Ecosystems
Until recently, Sargassum –a free-floating seaweed–was distributed throughout the Sargasso Sea , the north Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. But in the space of a decade, this seaweed has, as one scientist remarks , “Gone from a nonfactor to the source of a terrible crisis.” Driven by climate change, anomalous North Atlantic Oscillation in 2009-2010 and a glut of anthropogenic pollutants, sargassum has proliferated. Seasonally recurrent mats as deep as 7m now bloom in the “Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt” (GASB), which covers areas of the Atlantic from West Africa to the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Every year, millions of tons wash up along the shores of more than 30 countries . Dr.
Read More
Great Lakes Research Center: Designing Targeted Monitoring Solutions
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ), the Great Lakes have more miles of coastline than the contiguous Atlantic and Pacific coasts combined and contain 20 percent of the world's freshwater, making it a critical region to protect and conserve. Continuous monitoring and data-informed resource management are key components of managing waters in the region. Hayden Henderson, a research engineer with the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), designs and deploys monitoring platforms throughout the Great Lakes. With a background in environmental engineering, Henderson enjoyed the challenge of creating systems and making them work to obtain difficult, remote measurements.
Read More
Monitoring Meadowbrook Creek: Real-Time Data Collection in an Urban Creek
Meadowbrook Creek in Syracuse, New York, has been monitored by Syracuse University (SU) faculty and students for over a decade. Originally established by Dr. Laura Lautz in 2012, the early years of the program focused on collecting grab water samples for laboratory analysis and evaluating the impact of urban land use, human activities, and natural processes on water resources. Tao Wen , an Assistant Professor in SU’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, took over the program in 2020 and upgraded the existing systems to include 4G modems that allowed for real-time data viewing. [caption id="attachment_39339" align="alignnone" width="940"] An overview of the Fellows Ave monitoring station along Meadowbrook Creek.
Read More
