DRIFT BOTTLE RECORDS FOR THE GULF OF MAINE, 

 GEORGES BANK AND BAY OF FUNDY, 1956-58 



by 

 Dean F. Bumpus 



The drift-bottle data tabulated here 

 are the result of extended studies by 

 the United States Fish and Wildlife 

 Service, the Fisheries Research Board 

 of Canada, and the Woods Hole Ocea- 

 nographic Institution in the Gulf of 

 Maine area. 



Since the previous data report, 

 Bumpus and Day (1957), drift bottles 

 have not only been released during 

 voyages of research vessels in the area 

 but also from Lightships and the U.S. 

 Air Force Texas Towers. One set of 

 data, Crawford 18, represents bottles 

 released in Raleigh Bay off North Caro- 

 lina. A number of bottles launched 

 prior to the autumn of 1959 have been 

 reported since the above-mentioned 

 report went to press. These are in- 

 cluded as an appendix as is one return 

 from T. N. Gill Cruise 8, supplementary 

 to those reported by Anderson and 

 Gehringer (1959). 



Some of the results of these and 

 previous data are reported by Bumpus 

 (I960). The several thousand drift bot- 

 tles released during 1957 and 1958, as 

 part of the Passamaquoddy Fisheries 

 Investigations, are not included here. 

 The results of that study are found in 

 Chevrier and Trites (I960). 



The drift bottle paths, drawn on the 

 accompanying figures, 'were deduced in 

 a manner similar to that described by 



Note.--Dean F. Bumpus, Oceanographer, Woods Hole 

 Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Mass. 



Day (1958). Briefly, the final paths 

 drawn on each chart resulted from 

 constructing a consistent field of motion 

 for any given set of data, commencing 

 with th« shortest drifts in both time 

 and distance and continuing until all 

 paths had been drawn. 



Bottle Type and Distribution 



The bottles used were those com- 

 monly employed for carbonated drinks. 

 They were of clear glass and measured 

 approximately 8 1/2 inches high and 

 2 l/4 inches in diameter with a capacity 

 of 8 fluid ounces. Dry sand ballast was 

 added to the majority of the bottles with 

 the intention that they should float verti- 

 cally at or near the surface and thus be 

 less influenced by the action of winds 

 and breaking waves. Where bottles were 

 not ballasted, it is so indicated. 



The Data 



The original data are on file at the 

 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 

 where a punch card system is main- 

 tained and supplemented as new returns 

 are received and further studies ini- 

 tiated. 



The listings below include all re- 

 coveries on record as of August 31, 

 I960, from the following cruises and 

 static locations. Diagrams of the sur- 

 face circulation as deduced from the 

 recoveries of the drift bottles launched 

 on these cruises accompany the data. 



