SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 



The data return from the 1988 

 buoys was excellent. The average 

 drift period for the five operational 

 buoys was 59 days. None of the 

 buoys moved east of 39W, the 

 eastern boundary of the Ice Patrol 

 operations area. 



Recovery of the five buoys 

 showed that the drogues remained 

 attached and that the drogue 

 sensors worked well. The recov- 

 eries also showed that if the 

 parachute remains attached to the 

 buoy, it entangles with the drogue 

 tether and does not contaminate 

 the drift data seriously. For 

 example, buoy 4563 had been in 

 the water for 29 days when it was 

 recovered. The parachute, which 

 had not cut free, was collapsed 

 and inextricably tangled in the 

 tether. Although the buoy recover- 

 ies save some money, the nnore 

 important benefit was the ability to 

 examine the buoys after substan- 

 tial drift periods (29 to 88 days). 



It is not likely that buoy recoveries 

 will become routine events. The 

 cost of ship time far exceeds any 

 savings that result from reuse of 

 the buoys. However, when a ship- 

 of-opportunity is available, every 

 effort should be made to recover 

 and document the condition of 

 buoys. 



The failure of three air-deployment 

 packages was cause for concern. 

 The manufacturer has redesigned 

 the package for use in the 1989 

 season. 



78 



The mini-drifter test results 

 continue to show promise, but not 

 all of the issues have been 

 resolved. The reliability and life 

 expectancy of the buoys must be 

 increased substantially before the 

 issue of drift characteristics is 

 considered. Only one buoy type 

 from one company has been 

 tested. Testing should be ex- 

 panded to include others. 



