Some aspects of user needs for an air-launched, expendable free-drifting buoy

Research objectives were determined based on user's needs in which an airlaunched, free-drifting buoy would significantly contribute to the accomplishment of these objectives. The objectives were formulated through discussions with individuals representing federal and state agencies and universities. The most immediate need was in continental shelf oceanography which required data to characterize circulation in a localized mesoscale region. A tentative plan for the North Carolina Outfall Study was presented. Data from air-launched, expendable free-drifting buoys would be used in this study not only to characterize the circulation off the North Carolina coast, but also to provide data by which a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model could be verified.