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FALL 2014 DRIFTER
Our newest drifter has begun its journey to the open waters of the Atlantic! Students in Ms. O'Leary's 5th grade class helped put the finishing touches on a new model that was constructed with NOAA Oceanographer Jim Manning during last spring's NOAA Ocean Day at TCS. Unlike previous models (see Fall 2013 drifter below), the Fall 2014 Drifter is constructed mostly from aluminum, rather than wood. It is much lighter and therefore, we are wondering how this will affect drift rate and other variables. Local fisherman Willis King and the crew of F/V Donna Marie deployed the drifter approximately 11 miles northwest of Race Point in Provincetown on Tuesday, October 28, 2014. Click here to see the TCS Drifter's journey! The transmitter on top of the drifter "pings" to a satellite every 2 hours. You may want to compare the 2014 Drifter track to that of 2013 (see below). How are the tracks similar? How are they different? Wishing you fair winds and calm seas! |
The 2014 Drifter gets ready to begin its journey
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FALL 2013 DRIFTER
TCS students and staff, in collaboration with a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) oceanographer, deployed a surface current drifter in the waters north of Race Point Beach in Provincetown on Friday, September 20, 2013. On November 23, 2013, the TCS Drifter's satellite signal stopped working. Our drifter may have been hit by a vessel or submerged enough so that the transmitter is underwater. Our sister drifter, The Family School, made its way into the Gulf Stream. Click here to see their journeys on the open ocean!
The TCS Drifter track is the blue line and was updated every 2 hours. Click here to view the track in animation format! Our "sister drifter" was made by students and teachers at The Family School in Brewster and was deployed at the same time. Its data is updated every 6 hours. We also invite you to explore our drifter's history along with links to additional information about ocean currents and the scientists who study them by clicking on the links above.
If you want to learn more about ocean currents, read "Ducks In The Flow".
TCS students and staff, in collaboration with a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) oceanographer, deployed a surface current drifter in the waters north of Race Point Beach in Provincetown on Friday, September 20, 2013. On November 23, 2013, the TCS Drifter's satellite signal stopped working. Our drifter may have been hit by a vessel or submerged enough so that the transmitter is underwater. Our sister drifter, The Family School, made its way into the Gulf Stream. Click here to see their journeys on the open ocean!
The TCS Drifter track is the blue line and was updated every 2 hours. Click here to view the track in animation format! Our "sister drifter" was made by students and teachers at The Family School in Brewster and was deployed at the same time. Its data is updated every 6 hours. We also invite you to explore our drifter's history along with links to additional information about ocean currents and the scientists who study them by clicking on the links above.
If you want to learn more about ocean currents, read "Ducks In The Flow".
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HISTORY OF THE DRIFTER PROJECT
In Spring 2013, Truro Central School teachers Stacey Klimkosky and Megan O'Leary, who both sailed with National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists in the NOAA Teacher at Sea program, partnered with Jim Manning, an oceanographer at the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole to build a satellite-tracked drifter according to oceanographic standards. Our model was an “Eddie Drifter”. It was built from simple materials and affixed with a satellite transmitter that pings every two hours. The Family School in Brewster also constructed a drifter. Their model was a "Cassie Drifter" and is made mostly of bamboo. The Family School Drifter pinged every 6 hours. Both drifters were deployed off the coast of Race Point Beach in Provincetown, Cape Cod on September 20, 2013. Do you believe that using different materials will result in different drifter tracks or will they generally follow the same path? The teachers returned to their schools with the drifters; students studied ocean surface currents and decorated the sails before the drifters were deployed. As a result of our school and scientist partnership, TCS students followed the satellite-broadcast paths on a website, exposing them to the fact that the ocean does move. Following the daily or weekly course of these buoys allowed students to have a better understanding of how pollutants and trash placed in our ocean moves from one area to another, and how putting something in the ocean does not mean “out of sight, out of mind;” it just means it moves to a different place. Students gained a better understanding of oceanographic processes. They incorporated oceanography, engineering, math, geography, and technology into their learning. Ms. O’Leary and Ms. Klimkosky received a Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank Mini Grant to build the drifter as well as a Seamen’s Bank grant for extended satellite transmittal time. In Spring 2014, NOAA scientists, including oceanographer Jim Manning, visited our school so that students in grades K-6 could have a hands-on science experience. Fifth graders worked with Jim Manning to learn about ocean currents and his work as an oceanographer. They helped construct the drifter that was deployed on October 28, 2014. We hope that this collaboration will continue in the years to come. Data collected is not only used in the classroom but also by local fishermen who depend upon currents for their livelihood. Special thanks for the Willis King and the crew of F/V Donna Marie for deploying our latest drifter.
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