Category: Events

During October 2007, the Argo program launched its 3000th profiling float

Argo is an international programme using autonomous robots to collect subsurface temperature, salinity and current data. The aim of the Argo programme to deploy 3,000 automatic profiling floats throughout the world’s oceans is now fulfilled. These profiling floats are programmed to dive down to 2,000 metres, then to resurface every ten days, collecting data on the way, to transmit their measurements in real time data to researchers and operational centres worldwide. Argo has revolutionized the collection of information from inside the oceans. For the first time ever, such density of observations of the ocean upper layer has been reached. Argo is today a major component of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and is the ideal complement to satellites (Jason), surface drifters, XBTs and moored buoys observations.