A schematic diagram of one type instrument platform as deployed at LEO15 is displayed below.
The 5 mHz downward looking ABSS sensor is capable of profiling suspended sediment concentration vs. depth in the bottom 1m of the water column with a vertical resolution of 1cm and a horizontal resolution of 2.5cm at the seafloor. The upward looking 1 mHz sensor profiles the entire upper 10m of the water column.
The VACM measures average current vector velocoites and RMS wave speeds. A pressure gauge is also used to monitor individual waves.
A second WHOI tripod (not shown) has a multi-frequency downward looking sonar system (1 and 2.5 mHz), a array of OBS sensors, and a vertical array of three ElectroMagnetic Current Meters (EMCMs.) The EMCMs can resolve both wave and current vector velocities.