Earth Pulses in Direct Current

The Earth’s pulse is evident in a variety of geomorphic processes that shape its surface. This chapter describes how electronic instrumentation has dramatically increased our capacity to investigate sediment transport by wind and water and to relate processes to morphological change. A number of instruments and techniques for measuring fluid flow and sediment transport in fluvial, coastal, and aeolian environments are discussed, including current meters, current profilers, pressure transducers, optical backscatter sensors, anemometers, hot-film probes, photoelectric erosion pins, sediment traps, and saltation impact responders. The deployment of such instruments is placed in the context of scale, methodology, limitations, and interpretation of spatiotemporal records of measured processes.