Many drifting buoys with measuring instruments have recently been deployed in the Lofoten Gyre, which until now has not been investigated to such an extent. The buoys have been deployed from Statsraad Lehmkuhl, as part of the research school “Ocean Training Course 2025”. It has been organized by the European Space Agency (ESA) on board, together with the Nansen Center and OceanDataLab.
Statsraad Lehmkuhl is now sailing on the “One Ocean Expedition 2025-2026”, where the ship is used for teaching and research. During the trip from Tromsø via Reykjavik to Nice, ESA, OceanDataLab, and the Nansen Center have coordinated and led training in ocean monitoring, while taking measurements from satellites, drones, and from instruments at the sea surface and in the depths of the ocean. The Lofoten Gyre is a unique and important phenomenon in marine research, and the measurement results will therefore be key to achieving a better understanding of the ocean’s dynamics and its impacts on the ecosystem, as well as its role in climate processes.
Both drifting buoys and Argo floaters collect data that is being sent via satellite at the same time as they drift around in the vortex. Argo floaters are used to collect oceanographic data and are part of the international Argo program, which monitors temperature, salinity, and currents in the ocean – important for both environmental and climate research, and weather forecasting. The drifting buoys placed in and around the vortex measure waves and positions that are used to calculate ocean currents. The combination of data from the Argo floaters, from the drifting surface buoys and from satellites is unique and strengthens our way of observing the ocean.
Unique opportunity and improved insight
The Lofoten Gyre is a rare stable structure in the North Sea, expanding 50-60 km in diameter and more than 1000 m in depth, and the combination of satellite data and field data makes it possible to study it in a more comprehensive way. For the participants, this provides valuable experience with planning data collection and how different measurement methods can complement each other. The edited data also provides even better insight in the dynamics and impacts on the ecosystem.
The drifting patterns of six surface buoys set out in the Lofoten Gyre. The symbols gradually increasing in size in different colours represent the timeline from the deployment (24.04.25) until the currently last registered position (02.05.25). The white lines indicate currents. The patterns document a clockwise rotation (anti-cyclonic) with a speed of 0.5-0.7 m/s.
