Argo (oceanography)

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Argo is a "Weather System for the Ocean" that provides realtime ocean temperature and salinity for use in climate and fisheries research, and more. Argo consists of a network of oceanic robotic probes covering the Earths oceans, with a total of 3000 probes planned. The probes measure salinity and temperature at depths down to 2 km, surfacing once every 10 days to transmit the collected data via satellite. As of May 2006, 2,453 of the 3000 probes are deployed and active.

The program is a collaboration between 50 research and operational agencies from 18 countries, with the United States contributing over half the total funding (as of December 2004). The data collected from the network is made freely available.

Argo floats are designed to drift at a fixed pressure (usually around 1000 meters depth) for 10 days. After this period, the floats move to a profiling pressure (usually between 1000 and 2000 meters deep) then rise, collecting profiles of pressure, temperature, and salinity data on their way to the surface. Once at the surface, the floats remain there for under a day, transmitting the data collected by satellite back to a ground station and allowing the satellite to determine their surface drift. They then sink again and repeat their mission.

The floats have a nominal lifetime of five years, and will yield valuable information about large-scale ocean water property distributions and currents, including their variability over time scales from seasonal to the duration of the array.

The program is named after the Greek mythical ship Argo which Jason and the Argonauts use on their quest for the Golden Fleece. The name was chosen to emphasize the complementary relationship of the project with the Jason-1 satellite altimeter mission.

Meteorological Observation Systems and Weather Stations (Earth based)
Argo | Global Atmosphere Watch | Automatic weather station | Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) | Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) | Meteorological Aerodrome Report (METAR) | NEXRAD radar | Global Sea Level Observing System | SST buoys | Hurricane Hunters | Dropsonde | Weather balloon

[edit] External links

• Argo Portal
• International Argo Information Centre
• Realtime Interactive Map
• Realtime global Argo Data available with Google-Maps type interactive web interface. Plot and download realtime Argo data and access from the OPeNDAP (dapper) server
• NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory profiling float project deploys floats as part of the Argo program, provides data on-line, and is active in delayed-mode salinity calibration and quality control for US Argo floats.
• Government of Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Argo Project