This past winter seems to have been especially long here in northern Maine but spring is nipping at its heels. Ice flow and subsequent jams along with spring flooding are always a concern for those who live along the rivers of Maine. However, this year the area has a new tool to help monitor progress of the ice flow along the St. John River in northern Maine. NB Power is hosting a GPS tracking project by placing automated buoys on the river ice at various locations.  Once the buoys begin to move with the ice they start sending out automated position reports thus helping to track the progress of the ice flow.

If you want to take a close look here is a short video taken on April 19, 2018 that shows the buoy on the ice at the Dickey Bridge at Allagash, ME.  It is visible at about 00:25.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qti6akGLAM

If you want to track the progress of the buoy click here.

Jack, W1AYX