Nortek Aquadopp current meter diagnostics quantify mooring motion

Nortek Aquadopp Current Meters include a special diagnostic mode for data collection, which is useful for quantifying mooring behavior. Diagnostic data from an equatorial taut-wire surface mooring in 4 km of water show that the mooring motion is dominated by typically 6-s surface waves. The waves pump the instrument up and down, cause the instrument to swing around the mooring when currents are weak, and to weathervane when the currents are stronger. The data gives us some clues about the magnitude of strumming.