ocean currents for instance,
photographs by DFO (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, also known as DFO), so many studies were performed, one in the 1960s involved releasing drifting
buoys, each buoy numbered with location of release recorded, and some had a $1 reward if found and was handed in, fast forward to 2024, and one of the 1960s buoys has been found, a fisherman recovered the drifting buoy that was released in the Bay of Fundy, which lies
between Canada’s Nova Scotia and New Brunswick provinces, and touches the U.S.
state of Maine, the buoy was released on Oct. 3, 1960, "I think this is a pretty unusual case," said federal fisheries research scientist Nancy Soontiens, who said that finding a drifter deployed more than half a century ago isn't the norm, over the years, people have found drifters on beaches in
England, Ireland and Norway, fishermen sometimes catch them, other times, they
end up grounded,
Soontiens says, "Some drifters actually have temperature sensors
or barometers on them so that we can get information about the sea surface
temperature and weather patterns," adding "That data is
ingested into a weather forecast so that weather forecasts are more accurate
than without the data." the device had a card attached, asking the finder
to record its location and the date it was found and then send the card to DFO.
There is no monetary reward for those who find drifting buoys today, "The
reward itself is connecting with somebody who's really passionate about ocean
circulation," she said. "Oftentimes I'm working with a stranger who's
thousands of kilometres away who is really kind of keen to learn about where
this drifter came from and why it's in the ocean." But if you do find one
the drifter, as they are known is yours to keep, just send back the attached
card, Soontiens
said the device was a seabed drifter. If they tried to draw a path between the
Bay of Fundy and the south coast of Newfoundland, it would have travelled
around 40 meters per day over a span of 64 years — which she doesn't consider
accurate, "We certainly want more data points to improve our confidence in
that estimate," she said, so for all you beachcombers out there keep a
look out for drifters and you too could be helping us understand our world
better, for the full article have a look here.
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