Results of an initial trial of a satellite telemetering buoy measuring near surface current

A satellite telemetering drifting buoy which incorporates a vector averaging electromagnetic current meter for measuring near surface currents was tested. Results show that the characteristics of the ARGOS system are not easily matched to the efficient collection of an evenly sampled time series. The arrangement resulted at times in the transmission of much redundant data and in spite of this data were lost through uneven satellite coverage. Nevertheless the transmission of data is inexpensive compared with the cost of position location. For a drifter the advantage of using the transmission link rather than recording in-situ is that a data set can be accumulated even if the buoy is ultimately lost. Likewise the output of a moored system can be monitored continuously for correct operation and there is an additional advantage in that the position of the buoy is available in the event of loss of mooring integrity.