A dozen Tilt Current Meters (TCM-1’s) were deployed in the Florida Keys and South East Florida in coral reef habitats. Lew Gramer, Assistant Scientist with NOAA & The University of Miami's Cooperative Institute, said of the tilt current meters, “they are especially useful because they can show how the water flows over the coral”.
The TCM’s were first deployed in 2015 and are cycled through a 6-month time series to study temperature and flow. The research team led by Stephanie Rosales and Dana Williams is investigating how water flow is related to the health of the coral. “ADP’s generally miss the boundary and there is a need for accurate temperature and velocity”, Gramer noted, “The more traditional instruments measure whole water columns and profiles but generally miss coral where they live and experience the flow. Because the TCM’s are very sturdy, less expensive and easier to deploy they can be packed more densely in areas that are topographically complex”. The team is also looking at any rapid, high frequency variability events and effects on coral reefs to learn how coral reefs can thrive.
The tilt current meters offer ease of use and affordability for this type of research. “They are very easy for divers to deploy with 12x12 paving stone to anchor them", Gramer added. “With the TCM's you can afford to have another one ready to replace right away and to swap out instruments and data when the battery is limited."
Here is a quick video of the TCM set up in the environment: