AUTHOR=Schwamback Dimaghi , Persson Magnus , Berndtsson Ronny , Anache Jamil A. A. , Wendland Edson Cezar 

TITLE=Adaptive design of tipping bucket flow meters for continuous runoff measurement

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Science

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1286929

DOI=10.3389/fenvs.2023.1286929

ISSN=2296-665X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Introduction:</bold> Runoff measurement and monitoring is a laborious, time-consuming, and costly task. Additionally, common runoff monitoring usually primarily provide water level, requiring information on the stage-discharge relation. Automatic equipment such as flow meter tipping bucket (TB) is a potential option to simplify and provide continuous runoff monitoring in small catchments. However, a proper description of how to size and adapt the design under different flow conditions is still lacking.</p><p><bold>Methodology:</bold> In this paper we present a novel standardized framework for the design of TB that can be used for low-cost and real-time runoff monitoring under many different conditions. The framework consists of an estimation of the runoff peak rate using the rational equation and a volumetric capacity estimate of the cavity based on runoff rate, operation speed, and inclination angle of TB when at resting position. The proposed framework was implemented in a case study where four TBs were designed for continuous runoff monitoring from experimental plots (100 m<sup>2</sup>) with different land use (sugarcane, soybean, and bare soil).</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> During field tests (five months), the designed TBs had a recovery rate of actual runoff ranging from 61% to 81% and were able to capture features poorly studied (starting/ending time and peak flow) that have potential importance in hydrological models.</p><p><bold>Discussion:</bold> The proposed framework is flexible and can be used for different environmental conditions to provide continuous runoff data records.</p>