Detecting impacts of sand grains with a microphone system in field conditions

This paper describes the “miniphone,” an instrument to measure aeolian saltation. This instrument is a modified electret microphone that detects the impacts of individual grains. The unidirectional miniphone is inexpensive (approximately US$10), small, and poses minimal disruption to the wind field. It can be sampled at rates up to 44,100 Hz using commonly available sound card technology or it can be interfaced with a data acquisition system. Data from deployments on beaches on Marco Island, FL, USA and near Shoalhaven Heads, NSW, Australia using sample rates of 44,100 Hz and 6000 Hz, are presented. An algorithm for identifying discrete impacts of grains is described. The number of saltation impacts was not reduced when sub-sampling a record from 44,100 Hz to 6000 Hz. The most immediate use for the miniphone is for short-term deployments to detect unsteadiness in the saltation field.