The widespread concerns today for the fresh water on this planet also calls for suitable instruments that can be used for monitoring the basic parameters of fresh water. In some areas, the water in rivers, lakes and reservoirs can be polluted by run-off from agriculture, by chemicals used for de-icing roads and airports or by industrial chemical releases. Therefore there is a need for practical equipment that can monitor the conditions in such inland waters.
The RCM 9, in its standard version, is well suited for such applications. It can, for instance, be placed on the bottom of a river to report river water conditions. The current speed sensor can give the velocity of the water and the pressure sensor the approximate water level which can be used to indicate total discharge or flow. The temperature and conductivity measurements report whether large amounts of salts, acids or alkaline have been released to the river. The turbidity sensor can tell the amount of particles, for instance of clay and soil, resulting from erosion of the land masses through which the river passes. If the RCM 9 is equipped with an oxygen sensor, it can tell the oxygen content of the river. This parameter is very important as it may be the one parameter that indicates the general "health" of the river, i.e. its ability to support fish life.
When the RCM 9 is placed at the bottom of a river the data can be transmitted ashore by use of acoustic telemetry. This feature makes a cable to the instrument, which sometimes is difficult to use, unnecessary.
Conclusion
The RCM 9 is intended to be used by physical oceanographers, marine biologists, civil and ocean engineers and by various other professionals concerned with the sea and inland waters. These different professionals can have different requirements that cannot all be met by the same instrument type. The basic water parameters are however of common interest to all these professionals. Data on special parameters required for specific purposes can to some extent be met by taking advantage of the possibility of fitting an optional sensor. An optional sensor can either be built by the instrument user or be provided by the manufacturer.
Over the years, an enormous amount of data concerning the sea has and will continue to be collected. This large amount of data can be a problem in itself because it is difficult to interpret and analyze a large amount of different kinds of data. Therefore less data and more easily understood data is advantageous. The RCM 9 is intended to give precise information on the basic conditions in the sea and inland waters as reliably as possible. It is also intended to provide data in a form which enables various users to exchange data and take advantage of each others work. In this way the RCM 9 can be a useful instrument for the oceanographic community and for other users for many years to come. Aanderaa Instruments is prepared to manufacture and deliver this instruments for many years.
