IRLAP Drift Card Study Spring Deployment

On May 1st, IRLAP conducted their seventh Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Drift Card Study Deployment. The study involves numerous partner organizations deploying wooden “drift cards” from different sites across the IRL on the same out-going tide. Each card has been decorated with artwork on one side by local children, and have instructions stamped on the other side encouraging anyone who finds the cards to email IRLAP with where and when it was found, along with a photo of the artwork. This study provides insights into water movements in and around the IRL—something that is highly variable in the estuary and influenced by a variety of factors including winds, rainfall, season, and tides. This Spring Deployment featured six deployment sites ranging from Cocoa Beach to Stuart—a span of 84 miles!