GLOBE News
NOAA’s Adopt a Drifter Program Engages Schools in Ocean Climate Science – Adopt a Drifter Today!
The mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Adopt a Drifter Program (ADP) is to establish scientific partnerships between schools around the world and to engage students in activities and communication about ocean climate science. GLOBE schools are invited to adopt a drifter today!
What is a drifter? A drifter (or a drifting buoy) is a piece of scientific equipment that collects data on the ocean’s surface. Drifters allow scientists to track ocean currents and changes in temperature, salinity, and other important components of the ocean’s surface as they float freely and transmit information.
The ADP was started in 2004 for K-16 teachers. The free program links together schools from the United States and around the world to learn more about ocean temperature and currents. A global array of 1,250 drifting buoys was successfully completed in 2005. In order to maintain the array at its complete level, ongoing deployment of drifting buoys is necessary to replace those that eventually expire.
To read more about the program, click here.
For potential lesson plans, click here.
If you’re interested in joining the program, click here.
If you have any questions, please email Emily Smith (ADP Coordinator) at: emily.a.smith@noaa.gov.
type: globe-newsNews origin: GLOBE Implementation Office