Drifter Challenge: A Low-Cost, Hands-On Platform for Teaching Ocean Instrumentation and Sensing

Abstract

Ocean drifters provide essential data for understanding surface currents. As part of a summer school on marine robotics, we developed a curriculum around a low-cost drifter platform. Using this curriculum, students explore oceanographic concepts and engineering principles by designing the drifter with buoyancy and drag considerations, deploying it, and analyzing data to understand the relationship between Lagrangian trajectories and Eulerian flow fields. They also investigate the influence of tides, wind, and bathymetry on surface currents, comparing their observations with other datasets. At the same time, they build foundational engineering skills, including waterproofing, circuit assembly, sensor integration, and using hand tools, gaining practical experience in applying these to ocean systems.