Sedimentation monitoring of San Francisco Bay

Stability Assessment Of Contamination With Fiber Optic

In order to design the most appropriate remediation technique for the Bay, authorities needed to assess the stability of the surface sediment layer and the sedimentation rate in great detail.

A Distributed Temperature Sensor (DTS) connected to a fiber optic cable in and under the sediment yielded temperatures readings that Fluves used to calculate the thickness of the sediment layer along the cable. Daily measurements were taken on a daily basis and at numerous locations along the cable. The full monitoring system consisted of a fiber optic cable of 2 km, a land-based data unit that consisted of the DTS unit, a field laptop, a power source, and telemetry.

4 Millimeters Accuracy

Traditional methods (such as time-series bathymetric surveys or sedimentation pins) did not meet the accuracy required for this project.

With Fluves fiber optic technology, sediment levels can be measured continuously, with an accuracy of up to 4 mm. By measuring the sediment layer thickness continuously at multiple points, we could establish a highly detailed overview of sedimentation and erosion processes throughout the Bay area.

The project was successfully completed in May 2018.

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