SPECS-_ARGOS_DRIFTERS-SIGRID_SALO.doc

June 15 2017

Drifting Buoy Specifications: Order of 10 ARGOS drifters

Each buoy shall meet the following specifications:

1. The platform transmitter terminal (PTT) must be certified by Service ARGOS to –40 degrees

Centigrade and give ARGOS positions accurate to 500 meters a minimum of 10 times in a 24 hour period when deployed at a latitude greater than 50 degrees. Any serial data interface necessary for transferring external data to the PTT is considered part of the unit.

2. These units will be deployed in the Chukchi Sea, Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska with sea temperatures that can be < 0 degrees Centigrade.

3. The buoys shall measure and transmit hourly data on ocean temperature, drogue status, and battery voltage to ARGOS. The transmission must include 32 bits of data in 4 8-bit blocks. Unused bits should be zero-filled.

4. ARGOS platform numbers, hex codes and repetition rates will be provided to the contractor at least 15 days before the delivery date on the contract.

5. The housing must be waterproof for rain or snow, and must remain waterproof in cold temperatures and in cold water. The connections for the antenna must be watertight. Ship deployment must be possible. It must be able to be deployed as a packaged unit as delivered by the contractor. Each unit must be fully assembled with an external switch or removable magnet to start.

6. The drogue shall be a holey sock design that allows a minimum of 40:1 drag ratio. Six drogues shall be centered at 30 meters below surface; four drogues shall be centered at 40 meters below surface.

7. Each buoy shall be able to indicate through its ARGOS message if the drogue is attached or has been lost. This system shall not be intrusive of the buoy housing.

8. The contractor must have a history of reliable high-latitude operation, in areas subject to the same weather and oceanic temperatures we encounter in the regions surrounding Alaska. A reliable high latitude history is defined from previous FOCI deployments as follows*:

a. Drifters transmit properly (as defined in item 1) before deployment – 100%

b. Drifters transmit properly (as defined in item 1) during the first month of deployment –

90%

c. Drifters transmit properly (as defined in item 1) during the first 3 months of deployment –

75%

d. Drifters transmit properly (as defined in item 1) during the first 6 months of deployment –

60%

9. All buoys to be delivered on or before September 10, 2017. All delivered buoys shall be required to have a “shelf-life” of 360 days. All delivered buoys shall be required to transmit properly (as defined in item 1) for the next 240 days after start (using external switch or removable magnet).

*drifters that have run aground or been picked up by vessels are not included in these percentages