Coastal Oceanographic Measurement System
The Department of Coastal Oceanographic Measuring Systems researches the movement of various substances and materials within water columns and their interaction with the ocean floor. Movement occurs according to the interplay of natural physical forces and biological activity. In the shallow waters along the coast, tidal currents and sea conditions have a particularly strong influence on the ocean floor. In order to achieve the necessary understanding of this complex system, it is essential to be able to measure physical and biological indicators, such as suspended matter in water columns, sea conditions and the tides, in short intervals over long periods of time. In utilizing the data gathered, researchers hope to be able to clarify a number of widely varying questions. An example of which would be how the sea floor around Sylt changes over the course of time and which consequences this might have for the stability of the island; or, under which weather conditions the mudflats of the Watt, including its flora and fauna, are lost. The dispersal of dredged materials dumped into the sea is also an object of research. Various measurement instruments are employed to achieve the necessary data.
In the shallow waters along the coast, tidal currents and sea conditions have a particularly strong influence on the ocean floor. They are the cause of perpetual movement in sand dunes and ripple marks, and shifts in the floor of the ocean during storm surges. Moreover suspended matter, such as particles of clayey minerals and various biological materials and plankton organisms, are often swept away over long distances. Their movement occurs according to the interplay of natural physical forces and biological activity in water columns and on the ocean floor. Strong surges are capable of transporting enormous quantities of materials in a single day, which normally would take four months during periods of relatively calm weather. In order to achieve the necessary understanding of this process, it is essential to be able to measure physical and biological indicators in short intervals over long periods of time.
Our department devotes itself to the following series of questions:
▪ How does the ocean floor around Sylt change in the course of months or even years? What consequences might this have for the stability of the island?
▪ To what extent does the exchange of materials and energy between the German Bight and the Wadden Sea (Wattenmeer) take place? What chronological pattern is observable?
▪ How do varying weather conditions affect the eventual loss of habitat for flora and fauna in the mudflats of the Watt?
The following measurement apparatuses are employed by our department:
▪ Continuous measurement systems mounted on fixed pilings which record the concentrations of suspended matter and their properties as influenced by sea conditions and the tides.
▪ Underwater systems with similar sensor technology, whose operation remains unaffected by drift ice.
▪ Profile-measuring probes on board cruising ships
▪ Laboratory testing of water samples
▪ Precise sounding systems to chart the entire surface of the ocean floor to the centimetre.
The Continual Measurement System Department is a component of the Integrated Coastal Observatory Network ICON, an institute devoted to coastal research in the German Bight.
