Drogue Current: A Simple Technology for Efficient Ocean Current Monitoring

Understanding ocean currents is essential for various scientific and practical applications, including navigation, marine ecosystem conservation, pollution tracking, and climate research. Ocean currents are critical for the distribution of nutrients, sediments, and pollutants, and they have a significant impact on global climate systems and marine biodiversity. Accurately measuring these currents is vital to understanding the complex interactions of water masses with the environment. One of the most effective and straightforward tools for measuring ocean currents is the drogue current. This device is designed to follow the natural movement of water masses at a specific depth, providing reliable and precise data on current speed and direction. Its simplicity, affordability, and versatility make it a popular choice among researchers and professionals in oceanography, hydrology, and environmental monitoring. The drogue current system consists of essential components, such as a surface buoy with GPS, a sub-surface drogue to stabilize and track currents, and a tether connecting the two. Together, these parts ensure accurate data collection while minimizing environmental impact. This tool is particularly useful for studying localized current patterns, validating hydrodynamic models, and monitoring environmental changes, including the movement of pollutants or the dynamics of upwelling zones.

A current drogue is a device used to measure ocean currents by following the motion of a water mass at a given depth. It works like a “drifter,” a device that moves with the current to provide accurate data on current patterns, nutrient distribution, sediment transport, and other material movements. They are often used in oceanographic research, hydrology and aquatic environment monitoring. One of its uses is to map currents at various depths, which helps understand how sediments and nutrients move and how water layers interact with each other. Drogues are also important for monitoring marine pollution, such as tracking the spread of sewage or oil spills, which can help determine appropriate treatment strategies. In oceanography, drogues help study the dynamics of water masses in key zones such as current confluences, upwelling, or gyres. In addition, drogues are used to support computer simulations of the movement of currents and particles, so that the resulting field data can validate predictive models. With its diverse capabilities, the current drogue is a simple yet powerful tool for understanding ocean dynamics, preserving ecosystems and addressing environmental issues. It is effective because it is easy to use and provides accurate data for scientific research and practical applications

Main Components:

  1. Flag : As a visual sign to make it easier to identify the location of the tool on the water surface.
  2. GPS Unit : Serves to record the geographical position of the device in real-time, enabling the collection of location data for ocean current analysis.
  3. Float : Keeps the main part of the tool afloat on the water surface.
  4. Canvas Material : Acts like an underwater sail to increase resistance to currents, allowing the tool to follow the movement of currents more accurately.
  5. PVC Pipe with Lead Weight : The PVC pipe provides structure to support the canvas, while the lead weight ensures the tool remains stable and upright in the water.
  6. Water Surface Indicator : Indicates which parts of the tool are above and below the water, ensuring proper measurement of current at a given depth.

How Dorguess Current Work

  1. Calibration and Preparation : Before the operation begins, the device is checked and calibrated to ensure the GPS is working properly, and to ensure the drogue and line are in optimal condition.
  2. Deployment: The device is released at a predetermined location. The buoy remains on the water surface, while the drogue sinks to a certain depth, usually around 15 meters from the surface.
  3. Data Collection : As the device moves with the ocean currents, the GPS device records the position of the device at regular intervals. This data on the movement of the device is used to calculate the speed and direction of the ocean currents.
  4. Drogue Monitoring : During the measurement, it is important to ensure that the drogue remains securely attached. If the drogue is loose, data results may be inaccurate as the buoy may be affected by wind or waves.
  5. Data Analysis : The collected location data is then analyzed to map the ocean current pattern, including its speed and direction at a given depth. This information is used for various purposes, such as scientific research, navigation, and monitoring of environmental conditions.

Droguess Current strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

  1. Direct Measurement : It records data by following the movement of the water mass directly, making the results more accurate and realistic.
  2. Simple and Economical : Drogue is easy to operate and more cost-effective than other current measurement devices, such as ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler).
  3. Flexible in Use : It can be used at various depths with adjustable lengths of connecting ropes, making it suitable for a variety of research needs.
  4. No Disturbance to the Environment : The drogue is passive and only follows the water current, so it does not have a negative impact on the aquatic ecosystem.

Weaknesses

  1. Affected by External Factors : Surface buoys can be affected by wind or waves, potentially leading to inaccuracies in measurements.
  2. Limited Coverage : The drogue can only measure current at one specific depth, so it does not provide a comprehensive picture of current dynamics throughout the water column.
  3. Tracking Difficulties : In bad weather conditions or remote locations, tracking the drogue becomes more difficult, which can hinder the data collection process.
  4. Limited Operating Duration : The operational time of the drogue is limited by battery power or GPS signal capability, which affects the duration of data collection.
Writer : Tasya Nadya

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