Instrument for Measuring Water Waves

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Abstract
The variation of wave height is sensed by a probe whose capacitance is linearly dependent on wave height and controls the repetition rate of a blocking oscillator. The variation of repetition interval is converted into amplitude modulation at the recording site. The wide dynamic range (1000:1) of the electronic portion of the instrument permits the measurement of ripples with the same accuracy whether they are on calm or rough water. The dynamic range of the instrument is limited by the characteristics of the probe. The instrument requires no balancing, has a frequency range of 0 to 100 cps and a sensitivity which is adjustable. The maximum sensitivity used in the field was 8.0v/cm water displacement and the noise level at this sensitivity corresponds to 0.032 mm rms water displacement.

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