Measurement of Ocean Surface Currents Using a Ship Towed Log.

Abstract

A ship towed log for use on ships-of-opportunity to measure ocean surface currents was built and tested over the past two years. The technique used is one of the oldest known to navigators. The ship's dead reckoned position is calculated from the speed and heading as measured by the towed log. This is then compared to the ship's true position as obtained from a reference navigation system (Loran, satellites, etc.) and the difference is attributed to the currents encountered by the ship. The system was used on six sea cruises and was successfully towed over 11,000 miles. While it is not capable of making high precision current measurements as would be obtained from moored current meters, it can distinguish features on the order of 20 to 30 cm/sec. over a large horizontal scale in the upper ocean. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1980
Accession Number
ADA085304

Entities

People

  • David S. Bitterman Jr

Organizations

  • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Sensors
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Boundary Layer
  • Detectors
  • Electrical Resistance
  • Electronics
  • Frequency
  • Frequency Shift
  • Gulf Stream
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Measurement
  • Military Research
  • Navigation
  • Navigators
  • Power Spectra
  • Precision
  • World Geodetic System

Readers

  • Geodesy
  • Oceanography.

Technology Areas

  • Space