singpilot:
We all forget one additional 'factor' in the sea surface search. The immediate area has every afternoon, evening and night, been subject to massive thunderstorm activity, with rain, localized downdrafts and wave-creating winds impacting the surface. Location of the storms are as variable as the winds they create as they 'migrate' across the region
Yes, you are right. But as far as I know, the 6-10 period had afternoons, evenings and nights also, with rain, etc. and the final drift was almost straight North for 4 days. The weather, winds, thermoclyne, salinity, density, temperature, pression is not varying all together in one day. It takes several and, as you may notice from the ITCZ, the wheather phenomenons are very cyclical and almost always at the same place.
All this for saying that it is very improbable that the drift was North one day, South the following day, East, the day after and so on...
S~
Olivier