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2002 LAPCOD Meeting
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Direct Measurements of Water-following Characteristics of CODE Surface Drifters
Pierre-Marie Poulain, Laura Ursella and Fabio Brunetti
Ist. Naz. di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale - OGS, Trieste, Italy
ppoulain@ogs.trieste.it(Abstract received 10/31/2002 for session C)
ABSTRACT
The water-following capabilities of the CODE surface drifter were assessed by making direct measurements of the effects of wind and waves on its movements. The CODE drifter was equipped with acoustic velocimeters and with GPS receivers, without changing significantly its hydro-dynamical characteristics (e.g., size, buoyancy and drag area). The velocimeters measured the relative water flow at 1-2 locations near the body of the drifter with an accuracy of about 1 cm/s and with sampling frequency of 1 Hz. The GPS receivers provided high accuracy (~ 1 m) position data at 1 Hz. All the data were recorded on a datalogger and memory board inside the drifter. The CODE drifter prototype was deployed in the vicinity of a waverider buoy in Monterey Bay (Eastern North Pacific) in December 2000 and in the northeastern Adriatic in March 2001. It was also deployed in the vicinity of the "Acqua Alta" oceanographic tower off Venice (northwestern Adriatic) in November 2001 and April 2002. The ship used for the deployment/recovery operations was fitted with a meteorological station to collect wind data close to the drifter. The drifter was operated in various wind/wave conditions, with wind speeds ranging in 0-15 m/s and significant wave height between 0 and 2.5 m. Regression were performed between the 10-min averaged relative flow data, the wind and wave observations. It was found that the slip of the CODE drifter has no significant trend in the downwind direction whereas it increases with wind speed in the cross-wind direction (to the right). In summary, the CODE drifter was demonstrated to follow relatively well the surface water with an accuracy of about 1 cm/s in 10 m/s winds.
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2002 LAPCOD Meeting, Key Largo, Florida, December 12-16, 2000