By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Columnist

Orange wooden drift cards that are part of a current and wind study should start floating ashore soon on Kaua'i and possibly other islands.

On Dec. 10, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released 100 of the cards a mile off Barbers Point on O'ahu. They'll be releasing 100 more each month for the next two years. Researchers are asking beachgoers to keep an eye out and report when they find them.

The goal is to gather information about the drift of an oil spill in the Barbers Point area, where tankers offload oil at the Chevron and Tesoro mooring buoys.

The cards also could indicate where stricken fishing boats might drift, or marine debris, marine larvae and sewage.

Kaua'i alert

"We're looking for information on wind-driven surface currents. Our office is expecting a trend to Kaua'i," said Lt. Sarah Scherer, assistant scientific support coordinator for NOAA's Hazmat (hazardous materials) office in Seattle.

While Kaua'i is downwind of O'ahu during some trade-wind conditions, that changes when weather conditions shift to variable or southerly winds. Scherer said the agency has 300 drift cards to be released specifically when kona winds prevail.

"There is very limited data for surface currents around the Hawaiian Islands," she said.

The cards are 4 by 6 inches, bright orange with white lettering in nontoxic paint. Made of 1/8-inch plywood, they say DRIFT CARD at the top and carry the NOAA logo, a seabird in a white circle, at the bottom.

"They're designed to bio-degrade," Scherer said.

Each release has its own set of numbers; this month it is 001. When and where they appear will give scientists a rough idea of how long it took to reach shore and where drift materials tend to accumulate.

Report findings

Anyone finding a card is asked to hold on to it and not throw it back in the water.

Report where and when the card was found, with its number, to NOAA Hazmat Drift Card Study, 7600 Sand Point Way NI, Bldg. 3/N-ORR1, Seattle WA 98115.

Or you can fill out a form on the Web site, or send an e-mail to drift.card@noaa.gov.

The program is paid for by NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program. It's a relatively cheap way to gather information, Scherer said, because the cards cost only 90 cents apiece.

Jan TenBruggencate is The Advertiser's Kaua'i bureau chief and its science and environment writer. Reach him at (808) 245-3074 or jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.