Drifter Tracks

Here are the tracks of our drifters since our deployment last Tuesday afternoon. The graphic on the right is of the drifters which tell us the circulation at 1 meter depth. The plus sign is the most recent position. Each dot represents a 10 minute interval. 

These drifters are driven primarily by wind direction, so you can see that they have moved north. The orange track seems to have been taken by either tidal forces or fresh water movement.

 

The lower map shows the tracks of two 40 meter drifters. Initially, tidal forces dominate the movement of currents at depth, but as the wind increases, its influence also increases. Even at 40 meters deep, the wind begins to have a larger influence on the drifters. The curliques are tidal cycles, while the northeasterly movement of the tracks denote wind influences.