North Sea 2022; Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment – University of Oldenburg
In October 2022, the AMuSeD electronics were tested at sea under real operational conditions for the first time. The integration test took place during a measurement campaign by the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) in the southeastern North Sea along the 7th eastern meridian. A total of six drifters were deployed to collect current data. One of these drifters was equipped with the newly developed AMuSeD electronics, to which an AquaTroll 100 CT sensor for measuring temperature and conductivity was connected.
The drifter with the AMuSeD electronics remained in operation for approximately 40 hours before being retrieved due to an approaching storm. During this time, the system reliably recorded all measurement data on its internal SD card. The programmed measurement cycles were maintained, and satellite data transmission largely functioned as intended (307 out of 428 datasets successfully transmitted). The position data clearly reflect both the influence of tides and the effect of the storm, the latter being particularly evident in a change in the tidal period and a slight cooling of the surface temperature.
Measurement Data from the Drifter Equipped with the AMuSeD System
Map Data from the Field Trial
Image of the Integrated AMuSeD Electronics
Southern Ocean 2024; Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment – University of Oldenburg
Drifter for Deployment in the Southern Ocean, depicted here during a functionality test on King George Island
Building on the successful integration test of the AMuSeD electronics in the North Sea in October 2022, the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) deployed three drifters off King George Island in Antarctica in January 2024. The drifters had been shipped by container in July 2023 and were prepared for the extreme conditions of the region.
The objective of the deployment was to study heat exchange in the boundary layer between the Southern Ocean and the atmosphere as part of the EWARP project, which investigates mesoscale ocean processes and their feedback on the climate. During the mission, the drifters recorded only temperature and position data, both above and below the sea surface, to document vertical temperature gradients and their temporal variations in the immediate vicinity of the ocean surface.
Snapshot of Position and Temperature Data Sent via Satellite as of 22 February
