TY - JOUR
T1 - The design and testing of small, low-cost GPS-tracked surface drifters
AU - Austin, Jay
AU - Atkinson, Sten
PY - 2004/12
Y1 - 2004/12
N2 - 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 straightforward. 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.
AB - 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 straightforward. 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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U2 - 10.1007/BF02803428
DO - 10.1007/BF02803428
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:12444256470
VL - 27
SP - 1026
EP - 1029
JO - Estuaries and Coasts
JF - Estuaries and Coasts
SN - 1559-2723
IS - 6
ER -