2008 drifter tracks
updated every three hours

To see plans and results from this year, see tables below.
To see just the tracks from the last week, click here.
To download this year's animation in fli format click here.
To download this year's raw data file, click here.
To see results from previous years, click here.
To download tracks from previous years, click here.


To see tracks for individual clusters, click the links in the following table


InstitutionDeployerDate Deployed
(animation)
Dropsite
(track)
CodeColorsStatusFate
NOAA/NEFSCCole/Merrick18 FebJordan Basin1-3r,g,b done Georges Bank, Gulf Stream, ...
4 MarJordan Basin4-6c,m,y underwayGeorges Bank, Gulf Stream, ...
WHOIMcGillicuddy/Smith3 Mayoff Casco Bay1-3r,g,b doneall went ashore: 2 Casco Bay and 1 Mass Bay
NOAA/NEFSCWenzel/Merrick 7 May off Cape Cod1,2k,munderway diverged: Buzzards Bay and Georges Bank
UNETilburg/Arienti20 Mayoff Saco Bay1-2c,kunderway headed offshore ...
WHOIMcGillicuddy/Smith28 Mayoff Cape Ann1-3y,g,c underwayheaded offshore ...
29 Mayoff Casco Bay4-9r,g,b,k,c,m underwaydiverged: inshore and offshore
UNETilburg/Arienti30 Mayoff Saco Bay3r,bdone recovered by mariners
WHOIMcGillicuddy/Smith3 JuneNantucket Shoals1r donerecovered by Andy Girard off Martha's Vineyard on 17 July
UNETilburg/Arienti5 JuneSaco River 1kdone headed out to sea and then back in, grounded on an Island off Kennebunkport
WHOIMcGillicuddy/Smith1 JulyGeorges Bank1r underwayexited bank and caught in GS ring
UNHWatson/Goldstein1 July Great Bay1r donebarely survived the 4th of July madness
8 July off NH 2c doneran aground near Portsmouth on the same day as deployment
16 July off NH 3,1y,g underwayone up river and one to the south
29 July off NH 4,2c,r doneashore at Hampton,NH and Magnolia MA, respectively
19-20 Aug off NH 1,2m,k underwayheaded south ...
3 Sep Great Bay 1m underwayhung-up a few times but ...
WHOIMcGillicuddy/Smith7-9 AugustBay of Fundy1-9 underway
UMASSDKing/Brown 2008 off Cape Cod1,2 planned
BowdoinLaine/Fields 2008 Casco Bay 1-6 planned
SMCCGregory/Long 2008 Casco Bay1,2 planned

To see more details of individual drifter tracks and their velocity time series, click on the links in the following table

Launch Location
Date Deployed Deployer (track)
ID# (Speed)
Color Fate
Jordan Basin First Set 18 Feb DELAWARE 82371 red short circuited south, picked up by Cape Sable Island fisherman, Peter Van Buskirk, on 21 April and stored at Clarks Harbor Coast Guard
DELAWARE 82372 green retained in mid-gulf, apparently running out of battery in early June
DELAWARE 82373 blue short circuited south,...,
Jordan Basin Second Set 4 March DELAWARE 82374 cyan Direct ot Georges Bank, rode Gulf Stream to Grand Banks, ...
DELAWARE 82375 magentashort circuited ...
DELAWARE 82376 yellow entrained in the coastal current, reported in good shape on 7 March by Swan's Island Fisherman, Adam Joy, retained in mid-gulf, ... circuited
Casco Bay 3 May OCEANUS 85391 red took the coastal current rapidly south, recovered on a Marshfield Mass beach in the early morning of 14 May by a homeowner, Jim Carroll, and stored by my sister-in-law's brother, Davy Lewis
OCEANUS 85392 greenin and out of Casco Bay a few times before it came aground on Cliff Island on 7 May, recovered by lobstermen Norm Anderson who gave it to his son Eric who gave it to lobsterman Elliot Thomas (after it has fallen off his track on I95) who gave it to lobsterman/teacher Brian Tarbox at SMCC, who gave it to...
OCEANUS 85393 blue aground within 24 hours east of Orr's Island, recovered by homeowner Irene Thibault and picked up by SMCC's Nancy Townsend
Off Cape Cod 6 May DELAWARE 85291 blackNantucket Shoals, ...
DELAWARE 85292 magentaleft Nantucket Shoals, approached Buzzards Bay, and recovered by Dennis McGillicuddy in his Whaler on 19 June
Off Saco Bay 20 May UNE/Tilburg 85301 cyaneastward at first and then ...
UNE/Tilburg 85302 blackheaded east and then north into the Bay of Fundy where it apparently ran out of battery on 8 August.
Off Cape Ann, Mass 28 May GOMTOX 85201 blue ...
GOMTOX 85202 green...
GOMTOX 85203 cyan...
Off Casco Bay 29 May GOMTOX 85394 redpicked up by Harpswell Maine fisherman, Scott Harley "about a half mile from shore", brought into Cundy's Harbor and recovered by SMCC student Nancy Townsend.
GOMTOX 85395 greencame ashore south of Cape Elizabeth Maine on the morning of 5 June, lifted with the tide for a day or so, landed on a beach between two mansions, recovered by Dennis Sheehy while visiting friends, and delivered to Nick Wolff (USM)
GOMTOX 85396 blue...
GOMTOX 85397 black ...
GOMTOX 85398 cyanmade counterclockwise loop, disappeared on 6 June, reappeared on 12 June near Isle of Shoals, recovered by boater Eliot Shanabrook on Star Island w/no transmitter, and delivered to Steve Karger at the Marblehead Yacht Club. The transmitter, however, washed up on a little island to the east of Isle of Haut on 6 August 2008 and stopped transmitting a few days later.
GOMTOX 85399 magentamade counterclockwise loop, headed SW, skirted Isle of Shoals, ...
Off Saco Bay 30 May UNE/Tilburg 85303 cyanTook Western Maine Coastal Current south and recovered by Watson/Goldstein team on 10 June south of the Isle of Shoals
UNE/Tilburg 85304 blackpicked up by Portland lobsterman, Marshall Spier, in a matter of hours after it was deployed, brought back to Custom House Wharf, recovered and stored by Nick Wolff (USM), and then redeployed as #86301
Nantucket Shoals 3 June GOMTOX 86091 redrecovered by Andy Girard a few hundred meers of the south coast of Martha's Vineyard on 17 July
Saco River 5 June UNE 86301 blueHeaded out of the river, turned southward, landed on a small island east of Vaughn Island (near the Bush compound) about 24 hours later, and never heard from again.
Georges Bank 1 July GOMTOX 87171 green exited bank and caught in ring
Great Bay NH 1 July UNH 87301 redrecovered after wild trip
off NH 8 July
(single)
UNH 87302 cyanran aground hours after deployment
16 July
(1st pair)
UNH 87303 yellowheaded up river
UNH 87201 greenheaded south
29 July
(2nd pair)
UNH 87304 bluerecovered near shore by fishermen on the 6th of August SW of Gloucester,MA
UNH 87202 redrecovered ashore by lifeguards at Hampton Beach NH on 3 August
19-20 Aug
(3rd pair)
UNH 88201 bluealmost aground on Isle of Shoals, headed south w/intermittent transmissions, down the back side of Cape Cod,
UNH 88202 blueheaded around Cape Ann, into Mass Bay, recovered by Mari Butler (oceanography instructor at Endicott College in Beverly MA) by swimming out off the beach!
Great Bay NH 3 Sep UNH 89301 redhung-up a few times but ...
Bay of Fundy 8 August GOMTOX 88461 r surface...nearly beached northeast of Digby Gut, ...
GOMTOX 88462 g surface...
GOMTOX 88463 m surface....nearly beached northeast of Digby Gut,...
GOMTOX 88464 b 15m...first to exit BoF gyre, hungup on lobster gear off Jonesport Maine on 14 August, released by USCG's Nathan Hamilton a day later, hungup again on 17 August, brought in to Buck's Harbor by Steven Gatcomb (after the drogue got caught in his gear) and then recovered by Jim Churchill while traveling downeast.
GOMTOX 88465 r 15m failed.
GOMTOX 88466 k 15m...second unit to exit the gyre (29 Aug), entrained in the Easttern Maine Coastal Current, recovered by unknown Jonesport fishermen/mariner on 31 August
GOMTOX 88467 c 15m...
GOMTOX 88468 y 15m...
GOMTOX 88469 b 15m failed.
Note: All units were made by marine science students at the Southern Maine Community College. While most are standard "surface drifters" marking only the top 1-meter of the water column, the Bay of Fundy units have 10m subsurface drogue centered at 15m below the surface. For details, call 508-495-2211 or email james.manning@noaa.gov.