WindMasterPro Buoy Mounted of Slovenia
Buoy based measurements in remote locations are used to compliment land and vessel based observations. The Buoy Vida was provided to Marine Biology Station of the National Institute of Biology, Piran, Slovenia
Application
The buoy continuously records oceanographic data at a site off of the coast near Piran, which is thought to be typical of the southern half of the Gulf of Trieste. Buoy can record rapid changes in oceanographic and environmental parameters, for example such as might arise from southerly excursions of water masses originating in the Northern Adriatic.
Complimentary measurements taken from the research vessel allows the spatial extent of such events to be estimated.
Construction
The buoys hull is made of stainless steel 6 mm thick. It is 2.5 m in diameter and the height of the upper-most sensor (the anemometer) is 5 m. The buoy is fixed with three chains, which are attached to the buoys hull at points separated by 120 degrees around the hull’s perimeter. The chains connect the buoy to three concrete anchors on the seafloor at a depth of 22 m.
Instrumentation fitted to the buoy
An acoustic Gill’s Instruments 3D anemometer (height 5 m), a Vaisala air temperature and humidity sensor (height 3.5 m), a Seacat of Seabird T and C probe (depth 3 m) with a Wetlab fluorometer for chl-a measurements, an oxygen sensor ‘Optode’ of Aanderra, also at a depth of 3 m. An Xsens motion sensor (accelerometer/compass-tilt sensor) is placed in the buoys hull just below the top-cover of the hull and under the mast. An AWAC current meter from Nortek As is mounted at the seafloor, at a depth of 22 m. There are three surveillance web cameras. One underwater camera is mounted at the bottom of the buoy at about 2 m depth. The buoy is also equipped with three solar panels and a wind generator.
Data
The buoy has been operational for many years and users can contact the Institute directly to discuss for full access to the data, however, a dataset can be seen below:
Further details can be found at: http://www.nib.si/mbp/en/buoy/general
Why Gill?
WindMasterPro was chosen as the base wind measurement as it uses our proven ultrasonic technology, which provides one of the most accurate ways of measuring wind speed and direction. Our solid-state wind sensor is built with no moving parts and features a stainless steel exterior, making it well suited to most applications.
Originally published as a Gill application note (AN0002).
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