Case Studies

Juvenile salmon Bypass at Bonneville Dam
Cook, WA - January 2001

Contributed by: Derrek Faber U.S. Geological Survey

Water Velocity: Juvenile Salmon Bypass at Bonneville Dam
View AVI movie (4.84 MB)

Tecplot's macro language and AVI support allowed Derrek Faber to generate our Image of the Month.

A fishery biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Columbia River Research Laboratory, Derrek is working to preserve salmon runs through various dams in the Pacific Northwest.

The plot represents water velocity in a juvenile salmon bypass mounted to the face of Bonneville Dam. In the plot, warm colors represent areas of high turbulence, with cool colors representing low turbulence.

Data was collected in July, 1999, using an acoustic Doppler velocimeter positioned in a 3-D grid before the structure. The top of the mesh grid was at water level, the bottom is 20 feet below the surface. The mesh has a radius of 15 feet.

The goal is to gain a better understanding of the flow conditions around juvenile salmon bypasses. Ultimately, the information will help in collecting salmon and passing them through dams without having to travel through turbines.

To create a plot like this use a macro, changing the view of your data by a small amount each time. Tecplot allows you to export a single AVI frame for each change you make. You can play back your animation with any multimedia player that supports AVI.

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