2023 Drifter Tracks

Resolving transport pathways through New England's continental shelf waters and beyond

updated every few hours

See a GoogleMap of just this month's tracks.
Go to Student Drifters Homepage.
Find out how to get involved with the project
Download drifter construction manuals and lesson plans
Access the historical drifter data.
Get information on a related unmanned sailboat project
Plots of this year's tracks are linked in the table below.
Drifter tracks from last year are here.
Drifter tracks from in previous years (email james.patrick.manning@gmail.com):

To get PYTHON processing routines, email James Manning for the latest versions.

 

To see information on individual clusters, click the links in the following chronological table

Institution
(data)
PI (report/blog) Deployers (deploy video) Date Deployed (animation) Dropsite (forecast) #units Science (sensor map) Status (googlemap) ID-Type of Unit (photo) Fate (photo)
Seton Hall Prep High David Snyder F/V Nathaniel Lee Aug 21 2022 Oceanographers Canyon 2 education underway mini surface drifter 228400691,228400692 separated by several hundred miles after a few months
Waterford CT High OConner R/V Neil Armstrong Nov 13, 2022 Southern New England Shelf 1 education done surface drifter and miniboat 220400721 drifter along with Educational Passages miniboat "Lady Lance" as documented with a weekly blog with the deployment video posted here, apparently died 22 March. The miniboat was recoveryed by Azorean colleagues on 12 May 2023 off the island of Graciosa.
First Presbyterian Day School Patti Lewis and Harrison Smith F/V Fish Haven Mar 8, 2023 Gulf of Mexico 1 education moon tides done surface drifter 233280891 made a few loops, headed south, and then, one week after deployment, made it into Chandeleur South, circumnavigated an island, past the delta on 19 March, and, as of the end of the month, was headed westward. On May 9th, 2023, after a 2-month-long trek, it landed overnight on the breakwater at the mouth of Galveston Bay Texas but then apparently freed itself, headed into the bay the next morning, and then was recovered by El Jardin Beach-walker , Dave Pior who will connect it to his science-teacher daughter.
Falmouth MA High Cheryl Milliken USCG Mar 11, 2023 Cape Cod Bay 2 education/potential nuclear waste transport
turtles
done surface drifter and miniboat 233410701 recovered by Laurie Davis on 14 March with a few bent/broken spars near the White Cliffs Cedarville neighborhood of Plymouth and picked up by JiM;
233410702 miniboat "Scarborough Sailor" went ashore to Plymouth Long Beach the first morning, recovered by a marine debris cleaner missing a few parts, and picked up by Cheryl;
Southern Maine Community College Brian Tarbox Jeff Putman's Captain B
and Alex Todd's F/V Jacob and Joshua
and Ben Lydon's Charter boat Bad Larry
Capt Brian Tarbox SMCC R/V Charlie Hall
and Jeff Putman's Captain B again
Mar 29, 2023
May 26, 2023
July 8, 2023
Sep 21, 2023
Dec 2, 2023
Jeffreys Ledge 5 education underway surface "eddie" and plywood "brian" drifters 233430701 as seen being tested by students, stalled for a week before it started heading south, traveled cyclonically around Cape Cod Bay, oscillated a few times north/south between Wellfleet & Truro, came ashore May 20th, 2023 across from Allerton St in Ptown, evidently rolled around in the surf, reported the next noon 1/4 mile to the east, recovered badly damaged by Laura Ludwig's beach cleanup crew on 22 May, and transported by Robert back to Maine;
235430701 normal route down the backside of Cape Cod, Georges Bank by late June, headed up into the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy in August, and then went silent just south of St John NB in mid-September;
237430701 headed east out into mid-gulf region around Georges Bank and then went silent on Oct 5th as it approach Hudson Shelf Valley ;
239420701 headed into Mass Bay on Nov 1st southern Flank of Georges in Dec 1st...
230430701 deployed on Jefferies and ...
Jacksonville Marine Lab J Stalker USCG Mayport Station Jacksonville Florida Apr 8, 2023 Gulf Stream off Florida 2 education done large surface drifters 234300801 came ashore at Al Weeks North Shore Park in Ormond on 11 April and ended up at the Volusia County Beach Safty Headquarters in Daytona;
234300802 apparently came ashore about a mile south of the 1st one on 12 April but then showed up on a Palm Beach beach on 14 April
Meadowbrook Elementary Jessica MacManus M/V Albatross; USCG zodiac May 30, 2023; June 8, 2023 Cape Cod Bay 3 education underway surface drifters 235410701 videoed and recovered by Ann Plelan, a "cold plunger" at Corporation Beach on June 4th after a few days of northerlies ...
235410702 came ashore on Sandy Neck Park on June 4th, photographed, reported by a beach walker, recovered by the gate house crew with help from Amanda and Dena, picked up by JiM June 6th, and delivered to USCG.
236410701 deployed by USCG on June 8, traveled north, was entrained in the backside coastal current south on June 29, and ...
Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab Steve Ruberg ? June 26, 2023 Lake Michigan 4 Fish Larval Transport done surface "eddie" drifters 236440861 recovered before it hit the shore on June 29th at about 2000Z;
236440862 recovered before it hit the shore on June 29th at about 2000Z;
236440863 recovered before it hit the shore on June 29th at about 2000Z;
236440864 recovered before it hit the shore on June 29th at about 2000Z;
Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab Steve Ruberg ? Aug 1, 2023 Lake Michigan 4 Fish Larval Transport done surface "eddie" drifters 238440861 hit Hoffmaster State Park shore on Aug 3rd at about 0800Z;
238440862 hit Hoffmaster State Park shore on Aug 3rd at about 0800Z;
238440863 hit Hoffmaster State Park shore on Aug 3rd at about 0800Z;
238440864 hit just south of Hoffmaster State Park shore on Aug 3rd at about 0800Z;
Wellan Montesouri Merav Rosen & Caitlin Bowring Jeff White Oct 28 2023 off S Maine 1 education underway wooden turtle 230420701 got caught in a cold core ring starting 25 Dec 2023 and ...
Jacksonville Marine Lab Melanie Doan and J Stalker USCG Mayport Station Jacksonville Florida Oct 20, 2023 Gulf Stream off Florida 12 education done PVC surface drifters 235300801 transmitted episodically and then quit on 12 Nov 2023 off St Augustine;
235300802 not deployed;
235300803 came ashore at Ocean Palm Villas Beach on 4 Nov 2023;
235300804 came ashore just north of Playalinda beach on 9 Nov 2023 and recovered by National Seashore Park Ranger Jimi without a transmitter to be brought to JML by Randy;
235300805 came ashore in front of the Seacoast Garden Condos in Edgewater on 5 Nov 2023 and recovered by Casey Binkley who is the landlord of an apartment complex in New Smyrna;
235300806 quit transmitting off Daytona Beach on 4 Nov 2023 ...;
235300807 came ashore on Playalinda Beach about a mile north of Kennedy Space Center on 6 Nov 2023 and recovered by National Seashore Jimi to be brought to JML by Randy;
235300808 did not transmit;
235300809 came ashore on Flager Beach recovered by a Jim about a mile or two beyond the Apollo Beach road on Canaveral National Seashore on 6 Nov 2023 brought ashore by somebody to the 3rd house on right on Saddlewood Ln in Winter Springs;
2353008010 came ashore in front of the Seacoast Garden Condos in Edgewater on 10 Nov 2023
2353008011 came ashore on Playalinda Beach about a few miles north of Kennedy Space Center on 7 Nov 2023 and recovered by National Seashore Park Ranger Jimi to be brought to JML by Randy;
2353008012 came ashore about a half mile beyond the Apollo Beach road on Canaveral National Seashore on 6 Nov 2023, decommissioned on 27 Nov, recovered by National Seashore Park Ranger Jimi ;
2353008013 did not transmit since the transmitter evidently came off during deployment but recovered by National Seashore Park Ranger Jimi near Playalinda Beach to be brought to JML by Randy;
Falmouth MA High
Falmouth Jr High
Cheryl Milliken
Liz Klein
USCG
F/V Grace Sarah
F/V Resolve
Nov 25, 2023,
Dec 2, 2023 anim#1,
Dec 15, 2023,anim#2
Cape Cod Bay 2
4
4
potential nuclear waste transport
turtles
underway surface drifters, MakerBuoys, miniboats, and combinations 230410701 prototype "Jack" failed on deployment but reported for one day in the canal on 28 Nov where it was recovered in good shape by Army Corps Park Rangers Corinna and Samantha after the crew of patrol boat "Belmont" spotted it on the rocks;
230410702 standard "Irina" took nearly a month to cross the bay, decided to head into Ptown harbor on Dec 18th, and then finally rolled ashore on 8 Jan 2024 near Corporation Beach in Dennis where it was picked up by a beachwalker, put "in front of crockers path private beach", and then recovered by Cheryl on 10 January 2024;
230410703 (deployed by Dave Marsh off F/V Grace Sarah) miniboat Riptide sailed across the bay quickly, landed that evening on Duck Harbor Beach, recovered by Carmela and Stacey the next morning;
230410704 miniboat Rockstar sailed across the bay, turned around the next morning of easterlies, landed mid-day at Scusset Beach near the canal and recovered by Carmela and Stacey;
230410705 Makerbuoy drifter came ashore on Sagamore Beach 4 Dec 2023 ~0100Z, recovered by DJ, the beachwalker, and picked up by Carmela;
230410706 Makerbuoy drifter also came ashore on Sagamore Beach ~4 Dec 2023 0100Z , recovered by DJ, the beachwalker, and picked up by Carmela near Pilgrim Rd;
230410707 "Cheryl" surface drifter with stays and bar spars (not Jack like it says on the sail) reporting semi-daily ...;
230410708 "Jack" experimental surface drifter with no buoy after reballasting reporting hourly except during times of waves (>5ft) prevent it from reporting...;
230410709 Riptide_9 miniboat made it across bay in ~7 hours and recovered by Stacey next morning on the same Duck Harbor Beach;
2304107010 Rock_Star_4 miniboat made it across the bay in about ~12 hours and recovered by Stacey next morning near Great Hollow Beach after hiking down below Crest View Court neighborhood;
Southern Maine Community College Tarbox/Smith ??? 2024 Casco Bay ? aquaculture planned estuarine drifter? 240430701 ...
Long Branch Island Grade School Cathy McBride ? Jan 2024? off NJ? 1 Education planned 241390731 ...;
IMAPOCEAN Ari Dimoula ? 2024? off Greece and Ireland 2 Education planned surface "Irina" drifters 239350201...;239440101;
Career And Academic Development Institute Jeff Frank F/V ??? 2024 Mid-Atlantic Bight 4 education/CODAR planned surface drifter 243380711 ...
243380712 ...
243380713 ...
243380714 ...
Stockton University Anna Pfeiffer-Herbert ?? 2023 off New Jersey 1 education planned surface drifter 233400731...

Note: Most units are prepared by students in the classroom. The majority are standard surface drifters" marking only the top 1-meter of the water column, and some have subsurface drogues typically centered at 10m-15m below the surface. For details, call 508-566-4080 or email james.patrick.manning@gmail.com.