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The design and testing of small, low-cost GPS-tracked surface drifters

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Abstract

We have designed and constructed drifters appropriate for use in regions characterized by limited horizontal extent. The drifters follow the upper 30 cm of surface currents, but can be modified to follow water at any depth. The drifters store their latitude and longitude internally, and transmit their current latitude and longitude to a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS)-radio receiver, making their location and subsequent retrieval straight forward A field test of six drifters in Hog Island Bay, Virginia, United States, in August 2003 was successful and led to several design improvements. With simple construction and a total materials cost of under U.S.$200 this design will make drifters an accessible part of interdisciplinary experiments, provide a potentially valuable educational tool, and make experiments that require large numbers of drifters more cost-effective.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Commonwealth Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography, Old Dominion University, 23529, Norfolk, Virginia

    Jay Austin

  2. Department of Physics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 24061, Blacksburg, Virginia

    Sten Atkinson

Authors
  1. Jay Austin
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  2. Sten Atkinson
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Correspondence to Jay Austin.

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Austin, J., Atkinson, S. The design and testing of small, low-cost GPS-tracked surface drifters. Estuaries 27, 1026–1029 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02803428

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02803428

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