In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of collecting critical data for weather forecasting, CLS & E-Surfmar have been developing a new type of buoy with a wooden hull. 3 versions have been produced. V1carries a GPS and an Argos/Kinéis modem, V2 also carries an SST sensor and V3 includes a barometer. On top of tests in a swimming pool, 3 sea trials campaigns have been conducted. The next steps include designing and integrated circuit board to control the barometer and longer sea trials to validate the design.
Lucas et al. (Wed,) studied this question.