The Smart Drifter Cluster: Monitoring Sea Currents and Marine Litter Transport Using Consumer IoT Technologies

Area of Science:

• Oceanography
• Marine Technology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Marine Lagrangian transport is crucial for understanding ocean dynamics and managing environmental issues like pollution.
• Existing drifter systems can be costly and require significant maintenance and power.
• There is a need for cost-effective, autonomous, and accessible marine monitoring solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the Smart Drifter Cluster, an innovative system for remote marine Lagrangian transport monitoring.
• To highlight the benefits of using consumer IoT technologies for oceanographic data acquisition.
• To demonstrate the potential for reduced costs, enhanced autonomy, and broader applicability in marine science and civil applications.

Main Methods:

• Leveraging modern Internet of Things (IoT) consumer technologies for drifter design.
• Integrating low-power consumption components with optimized marine photovoltaic systems for operational autonomy.
• Developing an open-source hardware and software architecture to facilitate replication and contribution.

Main Results:

• The Smart Drifter Cluster offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional drifter systems.
• Achieves unlimited operational autonomy through low power consumption and integrated solar power.
• Demonstrates applicability beyond mesoscale current monitoring to areas like search and rescue and pollution tracking.

Conclusions:

• The Smart Drifter Cluster presents a significant advancement in marine monitoring technology.
• Its open-source nature promotes a citizen-science approach, democratizing data collection.
• The system holds great promise for both scientific research and practical environmental and civil protection applications.