The Global Drifter Program is the largest component of the Global Surface Drifting Buoy Array, a branch of NOAA’s Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), and a scientific project of the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP). Its objectives are to:
1. Maintain a global array of more than 1300 satellite-tracked surface drifting buoys to meet the need for an accurate and globally dense set of in-situ observations of mixed layer currents, sea surface temperature, atmospheric pressure, winds and salinity, and
2. Provide a data processing system for scientific use of these data.