What are the drifters?#

The drifters are so-called Stokes drifters, built by MetOcean in Canada. They are small, white, floating devices that are designed to follow the water motion in the Wadden Sea. The drifters are equipped with a GPS and a satellite transmitter, so that we can track their position in real time.

If you found a drifter?#

If you have found a drifter on the beach, it is important to leave the drifter where it is (do not touch it), as one of the goals of the project is to measure how high tides and storms move the drifters back into the ocean.

We would appreciate it if you could send us a photo and information about where you found the drifter, at E.vanSebille@uu.nl.

Tracking the 2023 batch#

We deployed the first batch of 24 drifters from the R/V Adriaen Coenen on 14 November 2023. Their tracks can be seen in the interactive map below.

Tracking the 2024 batch#

We deployed the second batch of 12 drifters from just north of Moddergat on 25 April 2024. Their tracks can be seen in the interactive map below.

The deployment was at low tide on the mudflats just north of Moddergat, as shown in the photo below (photo by Daan Reijnders).

Project funding#

Funding for this project comes from the Pay-it-forward campaign of the Utrecht University Fund, Stichting Pieter Bastiaan, and the project Tracing Marine Macroplastics by Unraveling the Ocean's Multiscale Transport Processes with project number VI.C.222.025 of the research programme Talent Programme Vici 2022 which is financed by the Dutch Research Council NWO.

Project background#

The article below (in Dutch), from Noordhollands Dagblad on 22 November 2023, provides some background on the project. Or check out this interview on NPO Radio1's Langs de Lijn en Omstreken (also in Dutch).