SI Live: STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, more commonly known as the ADCP, is a key part of the Living Breakwaters project.

ADCPs are placed in the waters of the Raritan Bay and continuously record water surface elevation, water velocity, wave height and wave period — the time it takes the wave to complete one up and down cycle.

On a recent boat ride, the Advance was able to see firsthand how an ADCP is retrieved while learning about why its role is important at this stage of the Living Breakwater project, implemented by the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery.

During this trip, which can be seen in the video above, an ADCP is lifted from the water and taken out of the mooring.

Data is then downloaded via Bluetooth to the laptop computer on the boat.

“As I do that, the rest of the team cleans and inspects the units, removes any mud, debris or fouling organisms (such as algae),” explained Meredith Comi, restoration program director of the NY/ NJ Baykeepers, an independent nonprofit organization that supervises the effort. “The ADCP is then put back into the housing and redeployed.” 

Continue reading>>