A Catch-and-Release Lagrangian Drifter for Near-Shore Ocean Circulation Research

摘要

A drifter for use in the near-shore region is described. The near-shore drifter records its position with GPS and transmits the position data to a host computer using a narrow band, data-only, cellular communications system. Position data is accurate to within 10 m in the southern California region. Position updates can be recorded and transmitted as often as every minute. This sort of spatial and temporal resolution enables the characteristic near-shore circulation patterns to be properly resolved. In addition, the spatial accuracy and ability to transmit data in near real-time enables drifters to be recovered and redeployed in a "catch-and-release" manner.