Frequently Asked Questions
Beginning in 2025, we are attempting to standardize the way we collect and archive drifter metadata. We like to document the details of each drifter deployment with information about the type of drifter, school that made it, who deployed it, etc.
Please try filling out the new googleforms as follows:
Note: All forms should take no more than a few minutes to fill and, most importantly, all forms must be filled out by the same individual since we use that email address as the key variable in the database.
Note: “Step 1” is filled out once the first time you get involved with the Student Drifter Program at a particular school. So, if you switch schools, fill it out again. It just provides us with your contact info including mailing address.
Note: “Step 2” is filled out after you have a) received, constructed, assembled, & photographed your cluster of drifter(s) and b) you know the 7-digit serial number of each transmitter. It needs to be filled out once for each cluster of drifters but, if you are deploying more than one type of drifter, fill it out once for each type.
Note: “Step 3” needs to be filled out after each cluster was deployed together. By “cluster”, we mean a set of drifters that were deployed at nearly the same time (within the same hour).
Note: “Step 4” needs to be filled out after a drifter comes ashore or is recovered at sea. You will need to know and provide the “deployment_id” of this drifter. To see a discussion of “deployment_id” visit https://studentdrifters.org/id-convention/
You are. You will need to monitor it as it approaches land. Ideally you want to recover it before it gets damaged by the surf but, most often, this is not possible. If it lands in a remote location, you may have to ask for help. If you do not know anyone in that area, there is a network of mariners all along the coast who would be happy to help.
We have a master Google Doc, that upon request, can be sent to you and it will provide several resources.
GOMLF continues to write grants and fundraise in order to help provide funding to get drifters into the classroom. Please reach out to Erin (erin@gomlf.org) to speak about options.
We have created several educational lesson plans for your convenience. The lesson plans range from middle school all the way to undergraduate level. These lessons can be found under the “Educational Resources” tab on our website.
Upon request we can also share a master Google Doc with more educational resources.
Yes, the raw data is served via csv files and the processed data is served via ERDDAP.
Our goal is to help validate numerical oceanographic models and make it fun for students to learn about.
- The “ESN” is a 6-7 digit number that appears on the underside of each transmitter. Important: You need to know these numbers before filling out the pre and post deployment forms.
- The “deployment_id” is a 9-10 digit number that is automatically assigned to each drifter deployment based on the year, mth, lat, and lon as described at https://studentdrifters.org/id-convention/ but you do not need to be too concerned about it.
Note that deployment_id is a unique number defining each drifter deployment but, since the same transmitters might be used in multiple deployments, the ESNs is NOT unique.
If you want to follow your drifter for weeks or months, it is best to get your drifter at least several miles from shore out in what we call the “coastal current”. In New England waters, this is in water depths of a few hundred feet (~100meters), strongest north and east of Cape Cod, and will eventually carry the unit out to Georges Bank (most of the time). Waters off RI have a very weak coastal current and more affected by the wind. If you are not able to get out that far, it is best not to deploy with a) an incoming tide and/or b) strong easterly winds in the forecast because it may wash ashore the next tide or two. To see the depths of your offshore waters, you can view the on-line NOAA charts here which is especially important if you plan on deploying a drogue. You may have to shorten your tether if there are shallows in the vicinity.
The best thing to do is to check the wind forecast and make sure there are no onshore winds that might drive it prematurely ashore. The websites that provide these wind forecast change all the time and often show discrepancies so you need to check multiple estimates and make your own assessment. A few of those currently available in Dec 2022 for Cape Cod Bay, for example, are:
- https://www.windfinder.com/forecast/cape-cod-bay_wave-buoy
- https://windy.app/forecast2/spot/32524/Cape+Cod+Bay%2C+United+States
- https://www.windalert.com/spot/1561 (click on “blend” to get an “ensemble” average forecast of multiple models)
You can also now use the EducationalPassages.org “Path Analysis Tool”
We also have a web utility that forecasts a drifter’s path. While this is still very much in development (not very user friendly and only works for dates 3-days prior to present as of Sep 2025), we hope to improve its functionality in the future.
If you do not know anyone yourself to get your drifter well offshore, let us know. We can help you find one. We have a googlesheet database of the dozens of mariners who have deployed for us in the past.
- Research vessels are happy to have drifters to mark the water mass under investigation.
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Fleet schedule is here
- New England examples, with schedules often listed on the UNOLS website, include:
- The R/V Endeavor & R/V Henry Bigelow often sail from RI
- The R/V Tioga often sails from Woods Hole,, MA
- The R/V Challenger often sails from Portsmouth, NH
- The R/V Auk often sails from Scituate, MA
- International Research Vessels:
- schedules are posted here by Univ. of Delaware folks but do not seem to be up-to-date
- European RV are listed here
- There is an map of where they are currently located are here
- For specific country, you can simply google search, for example, “argentina research vessels”
- Whale watch vessels (most have deployed these before and/or are happy to help):
- Commercial fishing boats (many along the coast have been happy to help):
- Erin who has a network of dozens of eMOLT captains from all along the Northeast US Coast
- Your local harbormaster (listed here: click “nautical links” for your state and scroll down)
- US Coastguard vessels (have deployed before)
- cutters
- small boat patrols
- search and rescue practice
- Yacht clubs (often have offshore sailors more than willing to help)
- Seakeepers, for example, are an organized bunch of sailors who have helped before
- Fishing charter boats (go here and look for “Nautical Links” for your state)
- Big Fish Charters, for example, sail out of Green Harbor MA to Stellwagen (Apr-Oct)
- Capt John, for example, sails out of Plymouth to Ptown
- Ferry boats are often happy to provide passengers some entertainment deploying a drifter
- Ferry boats from major ports around the world
- Boston to Ptown ferry schedule & fares (May-Dec)
Your unit is programmed and ready to start transmitting. There is a small black magnet attached to the front lower corner of the Smart One. If that magnet is removed the unit will start transmitting and using your prepaid transmissions. Keep the magnet in a safe place once removed so if you do recover your drifter you can stop the transmissions. You can use any small magnet if you lose the one provided.
If you are interested in depicting the big semi-diurnal tidal signal and want to contribute to oceanographers and modelers data archive, we suggest hourly fixes, but that can be very expensive. If you have multiple drifters, you might consider sampling at least some of them hourly and the rest less frequent.
The cost of an Irina kit is approximately $1,100* depending on:
a) Whether you build the drifter yourself.
b) How often & how long you want to sample.
- It is $0.15 per satellite hit. (You will determine the frequency and amount of prepaid months)
c) Shipping costs ($50 in New England states).
*These costs change over time, so please consult with GOMLF for most current pricing.
The Smart One Transmitters are solar powered so the batteries have a long life!
The ORBCOMM satellite company will continue to charge GOMLF a $3 monthly fee for transmitters even if you are not using them.
We can decommission a transmitter to stop that charge but, if you want to use it again, we need to pay the $50 reprovisioning fee. Our rule of thumb is that you should decommission a transmitter if you do not plan on using it within one year.