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| ARGO Programme | |
|---|---|
| Name | ARGO Programme |
| Alt | ARGO profiling float |
| Caption | A profiling float deployed in the Pacific Ocean |
| Start | 1990s |
| Status | Operational |
| Participants | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, International Argo Steering Team, World Meteorological Organization, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission |
| Area | Global oceans |
ARGO Programme The ARGO Programme is an international initiative deploying autonomous profiling floats across the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean to measure temperature, salinity, and currents. It provides near-real-time vertical profiles that feed into operational systems such as Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment, Mercator Ocean International, and Copernicus Marine Service for climate monitoring, seasonal forecasting, and oceanographic research. Partners include national agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, research institutions such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, and intergovernmental bodies including the World Meteorological Organization and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
The programme operates a global array of approximately 3,000 autonomous profiling floats that sample the upper 2,000 meters of the oceans, producing measurements of temperature, salinity, and derived variables used by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Met Office, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and Japan Meteorological Agency. Data are transmitted via Argos (satellite system), Iridium Communications, and incorporated into databases maintained by the Global Telecommunications System and the Global Ocean Observing System. ARGO complements observing systems such as TAO/TRITON arrays, GRACE, and Jason (satellite) altimetry missions.
Conceived in the 1990s as a response to recommendations from the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research and the World Climate Research Programme, ARGO evolved from pilot projects led by groups at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Ifremer. Major milestones include joint planning at meetings of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and establishment of the International Argo Steering Team, followed by adoption by the Global Ocean Observing System as a core component. Expansion phases integrated contributions from China Meteorological Administration, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, and Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Recent efforts to extend coverage into high latitudes involved coordination with the British Antarctic Survey and Alfred Wegener Institute.
Typical ARGO floats are engineered by manufacturers and laboratories including Kongsberg Maritime, Teledyne Webb Research, and the Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (Ifremer), featuring pressure housings, buoyancy engines, conductivity‑temperature‑depth (CTD) sensors, and satellite transmitters. Sensor suites often include conductivity probes, thermistors, and oxygen sensors developed by groups at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory. Variants such as Deep ARGO extend profiling to 6,000 meters with pressure-tolerant materials pioneered by National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research partners. Biogeochemical floats carry additional sensors for nitrate and pH designed in collaborations with MBARI and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
Floats are deployed from research vessels including RV Pelagia, RV Investigator, and RRS James Cook, as well as from commercial ships and aircraft coordinated through programs like Ship of Opportunity Program. Deployment strategies are guided by regional data centers at Argo Global Data Assembly Centre partners and national data centers such as US GODAE, Euro-Argo ERIC, and China Argo National Centre. Real-time quality control follows protocols developed by the Argo Data Management Team and standards endorsed by the World Meteorological Organization. Maintenance, recovery, and replacement cycles are managed regionally with logistics support from institutions including NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.
Argo data flow into repositories such as the Argo Global Data Assembly Centre and are distributed via services like the Global Telecommunications System and Copernicus Marine Service. Data assimilation into models run by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and Japan Meteorological Agency improves subseasonal to seasonal forecasts and informs products from Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment and IPCC assessments. Scientific applications span studies by researchers at Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography on processes such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and ocean heat content trends underpinning reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Governance is coordinated through the International Argo Steering Team with oversight from the Global Ocean Observing System and links to the World Meteorological Organization and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Funding is distributed among national agencies including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, European Commission, National Science Foundation, China Meteorological Administration, Australian Government, and philanthropic entities and research grants administered by institutions like Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Ifremer. Collaborative agreements and memoranda of understanding among contributors define data policy consistent with standards from the World Meteorological Organization.
ARGO has transformed oceanography by providing systematic, global subsurface observations that underpin operational forecasting at European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and climate studies cited by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It has enabled advances by scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography in understanding heat uptake, salinity variability, and circulation changes. The programme inspired related initiatives such as Bio-Argo and Deep ARGO and strengthened international partnerships among agencies including NOAA, Ifremer, CSIRO, and National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, leaving a durable legacy in global ocean observation.
Category:Oceanography Category:Climate system