OpenDrift — The Complete Guide: Free Drift Forecasting for Oil, Plastic and Objects at Sea

OpenDrift is an open-source Python framework developed at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. It moves virtual particles through current, wind and wave fields from ocean and weather models, and so forecasts where an oil slick, a floating object or a plankton population will end up.

OpenDrift

Norwegian Meteorological Institute

Traces the drift of oil, plastic, larvae or search-and-rescue targets in the ocean.

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What you get

Ready drift models — for oil (including evaporation and dispersion), search and rescue, plastic, and fish eggs and larvae.
Data access — NetCDF files and data servers of ocean models.
One engine — every drift model plugs into the same framework, and you can write your own.
Uncertainty scenarios — thousands of particles with random spreading.
Output — maps, animations and NetCDF files for further analysis.

Who it suits

Planning the outfall of a drainage or desalination pipeline, assessing spill risk at a port or offshore facility, and environmental research. You need some Python and current data for your area — from regional forecasting services or from a hydrodynamic model you ran yourself.