ICES Guidelines for Surface Drifting Buoy data. (Compiled March 20001; revised August 2006)

Abstract

Drifting buoys (UNESCO, 1988) have a long history of use in oceanography, starting in late 1978 with the First GARP Global Experiment (FGGE), principally for the mea surement of currents by following the motions of floats attached to some form of sea anchor or drogue. Since 1988, over 1500 Lagrangian drifters have been deployed in the world oceans in the Surface Velocity Program (SVP) of the World Ocean Circulation Ex periment (WOCE) and the Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere Program (TOGA). The buoys were standardised in 1991, with small spherical hull and floats, and large Holey - Sock drogue centred at 15 meters below the surface. Since 1993, Lagrangian Drifters wi th barometer ports and other sensors, including thermistor chains, have been in operation. Separate guidelines are available for Profiling Floats that record sub - surface variables.