Photo 1: Wilson escaping the eddy south of Cape Canaveral and heading Northeast, deeper into the ocean.
Good news! Wilson has escaped the endless circling of the coastal eddy! He was only stuck for two full rotations until spinning out on the upper right side. He was then pushed up Northeast of the cape, which we are hoping is a good sign. Though Wilson may look off track, if our assumptions are correct he is actually on his way to the major ocean currents. Wilson has been stuck in this area for his fourth week in a row but, he has gotten pushed out the farthest from the coast that he has ever been. Wilson is actually one lucky drifter buoy! It is common for buoys like Wilson to get stuck in eddies for months! If it is a meteorological buoy this is a good thing since it can track the same area. These buoys are often purposely placed near an eddy in hopes that it will get trapped, but for us this is not what we want. Since he is continuing Northeast and not following the Southern nearshore current right away like he had previously, we are hoping that the eddy has spun him far enough east that he is actually catching the edge of the Florida Current a little earlier than expected! Previously, we thought that the Florida Current would not pick up Wilson until he was closer to Fort Lauderdale, an additional 179 miles south, where the Southern nearshore currents and the northern Florida current converge. However, since it is just becoming the warmer season, this early break into the Florida Current could have to do with the direct correlation between the temperature and amplitude of the current. The spring and summer months are when the Florida current reaches its maximum size. This suggests that Wilson really is well on his way into the Florida Current!
Photo 2: Both photos represent where Wilson is located in proximity to the Florida Current. Notice that it looks like he is right in the middle of the coast and the Florida Current but he is the closest to the current that he has ever been. (red star represents Wilson in right photo, green balloon in left)
In the above photos it is pretty obvious where the Florida Current is located in relation to Wilson. He seems to be smack dab in the middle of the coast and the Florida Current but he is still the farthest out that he has ever been. At this point it he has two options; get picked up early by the Florida Current and head North towards the Gulf Stream like we have predicted, or, get trapped around the Cape once again and get pulled back down into the eddy, hopefully it is the former.
Wilson is not the only one who will be heading away from the Cape and making their way to Florida Current! The Canaveral National Seashore is an area of miles and miles of protected, uninhabited beach, which makes the ideal nesting ground for loggerhead, leatherback, and green sea turtles. Wilson may be joining groups of baby sea turtles as they head slowly but surely East towards the Florida Current as well.
Photo 3: The path of several tagged neonate sea turtles shortly after making their way into the ocean. Notice how many variations.
The one to two years after the newborn sea turtle swims offshore is often referred to as their “lost years”, because little is known about what happens during this time frame. However, recently it was found that after entering the ocean the small sea turtles stay near the surface of the Florida Current and Gulf Stream, until they near North Carolina where the Gulf Stream shifts towards the open ocean. At this point, many wander away from the main current staying near the outer edge of the continental shelf for a short while, before departing into deeper territories. Similar to Wilson, none of the sea turtles seem to be following a direct path. They didn’t follow the fastest currents, or continue along the major circling currents of the ocean or “gyres”, which was previously thought all along. Comes to show us that the ocean and its currents are full of many twists and turns of mystery! We are hoping that Wilson will reach the Florida Current and travel North into the Gulf stream until it veers east near the Carolinas, but who knows! Only time will tell the fate of Wilson’s travels.
Fun Fact! Unfortunately, only one hatchling in a thousand make it to adulthood (15-25 years) but, if they do survive they can live to be over 100 years old!
References:
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/281/1781/20133039
http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/florida.html
http://www.nbbd.com/godo/cns/Brochures/SeaTurtles/index.html
http://www.sunsetbeachturtles.org/iFacts.html
http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/1520-0485%281988%29018%3C1209:VOSATO%3E2.0.CO%3B2