As part of the Interreg IT-HR FIRESPILL project, ARPA FVG conducted the first set of tests on the Stokes Drifters, which are supplied by the company MetOcean.Drifters are devices that are transported by sea surface currents and they periodically mark the position, allowing the calculation of the trajectory they follow together with the speed of the movement.

After the drifters activation, operational tests were carried on in the Gulf of Trieste. In particular, the devices were released in three points (SMNU3, ME111 and Mambo3) which are considered functional for the study of the spread of oil pollutants within the gulf. At the same time, their trajectories were predicted by GNOME model, using different forecasted environmental conditions. Three hours after release, the Stokes Drifters were tracked down and successfully captured. There is a good agreement between the trajectories provided by the model and the measurements performed by the Drifters.

The three Stokes Drifters have been acquired by ARPA FVG specifically for the validation of the pyGNOME, GNOME and Medslik-II oil spill models, in their operational implementation phase.

The goal is to improve forecasts on the diffusion of a pollutant in the marine environment, as a consequence of its accidental spillage, thus contributing to the achievement of deliverable D.4.3.1, located within the pilot project "Oil spills and other marine hazards ".