Watt, Archie (2019) A Novel Method of Determining Sediment Transport using Ultrasonic Wireless Sensors. Doctoral thesis, University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
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Watt, Archie John (2019) A novel.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License CC-BY-NC-ND Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (13MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Climate change can result from human activities and natural uctuations, and has been identifed as a signifcant contributor to several storm events over recent years. As sea levels are predicted to increase because of global warming, and since most of the warming is absorbed by the oceans, sea level rise has resulted in increased concerns about coastal erosion. Therefore, monitoring of the shoreline, coastal processes and in particular sediment movement, given the dynamic nature of coastal systems, is vital to ensure that erosion response is appropriate. Ideally, monitoring should take place regularly over long periods with data collected for both the visible beach and submerged parts of the littoral zone. Consequently, two current limitations to effective coastal monitoring are: 1. data acquisition is largely manual and 2. measurements are limited to the visible beach. This results in an incomplete picture of what is happening due to the inability to gather data beneath the sea surface. To overcome these limitations, a novel method was developed to monitor sediment transport using a combination of ultrasonic distance measurement and Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technologies. This technique will enable effective coastal monitoring via regular acquisition of underwater data over a long period of time. Practical results from proof of principle testing were obtained from laboratory experiments, with air-based validation of the system being undertaken. Importantly, results showed this novel approach enabled comparisons to be made between different types of sediment, an important requirement for monitoring coastal environments. The ZigBee communication protocol transmitted sediment movement data and results demonstrated the capability and potential effectiveness of the system, as well as its limitations. High levels of accuracy (upwards of 95%) were achieved for all experiments. In summary, this research represented the frst stage in development of a novel coastal monitoring system that has potential global impact. It will facilitate a greater understanding of sediment movement via real time data acquisition and transmission, which in turn will enable the development of more effective coastal management strategies.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Coastal monitoring system, Climate change, Coastal erosion, Sediment transport, Ultrasonic wireless sensors |
| Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GC Oceanography G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science |
| Divisions: | Theses and Dissertations > Doctoral Theses |
| Depositing User: | Users 10 not found. |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Feb 2020 10:33 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Apr 2023 10:51 |
| URI: | https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/1210 |
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