Materials needed include a transparent plastic hose, about
6 m long and 1–1.2 cm in diameter; two transparent acrylic
tubes about 1.2–1.5 m long and about 1–1.2 cm in diameter;
two graduated poles about 1.2–1.5 m long; plastic cable ties;
5 m of nylon string; and two plastic elbows (90) with adequate
diameter to fit the acrylic tubes and the hose.
Assemblage
Insert the plastic elbows at the tips of the hose, fit the
transparent acrylic tubes at each free tip of the plastic elbows,
and tie the tubes to the graduated poles with the cable
ties. The plastic elbows enable free water movement and help
create a base to prevent the profiler from sinking into the
sand. A graduated pole can be made by attaching any kind
of measuring tape (sturdy or flexible) to, for example, a gardening
pole (Figure 2).
This design can be much simplified. A simpler ‘‘profiler’’
can be built by tying a transparent plastic hose to a pair of
graduated poles (e.g., Emery rods). This setup is the easiest
and fastest to build but it could (i) lack sturdiness; (ii) cause
bends in the hose when the poles are held vertically at ground
level, preventing free water movement; and (iii) sink too
much in the sand, making readings more difficult (the plastic
elbows have that extra advantage).