Improving the Understanding of Mooring Motion in Current Measurements Using High-resolution Diagnostic Records

Traditional moored current meters record velocities averaged over a period of several minutes to reduce variations due to sensor movement. Unfortunately these time-averaged records do not provide sufficient information required to understand mooring motions and interpret commonly observed velocity variations. We describe the use of high-resolution diagnostics data collected with an Argonaut-MD in a tidally driven environment that aid our understanding of mooring motions. Accelerometer records clearly capture internal wave signature, undetectable in the averaged data. Data analysis reveals considerably different mooring response to tides (mooring line pull) and internal waves (oscillations). The availability of these diagnostic data improves the understanding of mooring motion and aids in designing the appropriate sampling strategy