Development of drifting buoys

Abstract

Polar orbiting satellites equipped with random access data collection and position fixing systems have made long-term remote oceanographic/meteorological observations possible by means of instrumented drifting buoys fitted with ARGOS telementry transmeters. This paper discusses the design aspects and performance characteristics of these buoys presenting a small fraction of the considerable data set acquired. The requiremnts for further inclusion of certain sensors and hardware are described. Considerable potential exists for the use of drifting buoys if the cost of data acquisition and processing systems is held at a reasonable level. As yet it is in infancy and further development is required before system reliability and longevity are considered to match those for telemetry systems. A fundamental question to be answered is the extent of the buoy remaining "attached" to the local watermass when it encounters current shear, wind forcing and waves