DOPY - A Minimum Motions Drifting Data Buoy

The Drifting Oceanographic Profile Buoy "DOPY" is a small data buoy containing an efficient, remotely controlled data acquisition and logging system. Very low vertical motions due to surface waves are characteristic attributes of this buoy Several probes and temperature chains are suspended from the end of a four-conductor cable under the platform and can be positioned by means of a remotely controlled winch. A wide variety of integration periods and sampling times can be selected individually for each sensor by programming the program register of the acquisition system which can be done via radio link. The goal of the first approach was to obtain timeseries of parameters like temperature, salinity and current within the seasonal thermocline. For these applications the system has been deployed for periods up to 10 days, but longer periods are possible. The handling of DOPY is very easy and it is possible to carry out launching and recovery from small research vessels even in heavy seas.