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In Action In Asia - 2006

John Downing spent two weeks in Asia in February 2006 conducting training on the application, operation, and calibration of the OBS-3+, OBS-3A, and OBS-5+ suspended-sediment monitoring instruments. He assists several Asian countries in the conversion of their manual river sediment monitoring equipment to automated electronic sensing systems. The D & A training course includes a classroom day where optical and acoustic methods for estimating suspended sediment are introduced and the coordination of their use with direct water-sampling devices is explained. Event-triggered measurement systems, efficient sampling techniques, and basic laboratory procedures are also covered. A second day of hands-on training is conducted in the field to demonstrate the use of optical sediment-monitoring instruments and basic river gauging procedures.

On the Red River, near Ha Noi, Downing showed an enthusiastic crew of hydrologists; see photographs, how to run a depth-integrating water sampler and a OBS-3A recording sediment monitor simultaneously to get in-situ calibration data. An optional third day of training is conducted in the customer’s laboratory where specific instrument calibration issues are addressed; photograph below. During the February-2006 program, Downing introduced the wet- and dry-sediment OBS calibration methods using the auto-suspender apparatus and showed technicians how to process calibration data and program OBS-3A and OBS-5 systems to monitor sediment loads at river-gauging stations.