A Match Made in Florida: Citizens and Scientists Team Up for Research and Education
(GoMRI)
A Match Made in Florida: Citizens and Scientists Team Up for Research and Education
– January 20, 2015
What do CARTHE, the International SeaKeepers Society, and Fleet Miami have in common? Ocean research!
Last September, CARTHE researchers from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School partnered with SeaKeepers and Fleet Miami to widen the reach of ocean and oil spill research in the local community. The alliance led a three-day expedition aboard a 54-foot East Bay yacht to test the accuracy of various GPS-enabled surface current drifter models and to introduce students to marine science.
Surface drifters track ocean currents and can help researchers and responders monitor oil’s movement through the ocean following a spill. CARTHE researchers aboard Fleet Miami yacht Shredder deployed and retrieved a variety of surface current drifters, including several biodegradable models.
During the expedition, researchers tested each drifter’s accuracy by monitoring wave height and frequency, water speed, wind speed, and ambient stratification. This data will expand existing ocean current models and help improve emergency response to oil spills, rescue missions, and other disasters.