Hey!
Welcome to our blog. We will be tracking and analyzing the movements of 3 drifter buoys released off the Jacksonville, Florida coastline just East of the St. John's River. Weekly blogs will be posted telling you where the buoys have traveled, how they got there, and any other interesting facts we wish to include. This project will reveal more about one of the great mysteries of the ocean; its currents. Ocean currents have a large impact on more than just the ocean and it is important to keep track of them on a regular basis. Currents have a powerful influence on ocean nutrients, climate, marine life, pollution, as well as safe commercial, industrial, and recreational boating.
Lets start off with what a current is. A current is a body of water or air moving in a definite direction, especially through a surrounding body of water or air in which there is less movement. Essentially currents put motion in the ocean. "Ocean currents can be generated by wind, density differences in water masses caused by temperature and salinity variations, gravity, and events such as earthquakes" (NOAA).
Our prediction for the buoys' travels is that upon release they will travel South, being pulled by the nearshore currents. They will continue south until around Miami, Florida where the Florida Current gets near enough to shore that it would pick up the buoys and take them North. The buoys would contnine North until they hit the Gulf Stream which will then force them to vear East. In the Gulf Stream one of many things can happen. They could continue straight up to the Nordic Sea, get sucked up in a warm or cold core ring, which are types of mesoscale eddys or moderately sized swirling fluids that break off from the main current, they could start circulation in the recirculation gyre, or possibly even get knocked out by a ship or eaten by a shark. Who knows! There are so many possibilities and we are here to help figure out their fate!
Until next time!
Jessica & Jennifer
COOL FACT: “Currents are essential for maintaining the existing balance of life on Earth, but they can be deadly as well.” – NOAA