{"id":22079,"date":"2015-02-24T23:23:17","date_gmt":"2015-02-24T23:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/?page_id=22079"},"modified":"2015-04-05T22:14:29","modified_gmt":"2015-04-05T22:14:29","slug":"argo-floats","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/de\/archives\/past-rallies\/unser-ozean\/science\/argo-floats\/","title":{"rendered":"Argo Floats"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blue Planet Odyssey yachts deployed Argo floats in those areas of ocean for which scientists are most lacking knowledge.<\/p>\n

See also: The Argo Floats Deployment Hall of Fame<\/a>
\n(a record of the Odyssey boats which have deployed Argo floats).<\/p>\n

What is an Argo float?<\/h2>\n
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An Argo deployment<\/p><\/div>\n

Named after Jason\u2019s ship the Argo, which set out to find the Golden Fleece according to Greek myth, an Argo float is a battery-powered autonomous float that spend most of its life drifting at depth.<\/p>\n

A typical float will descend to a target depth of 1000m to drift and then descend again to 2000m. It measures the temperature and salinity of the water around it.<\/p>\n

Floats can change their buoyancy by pumping oil into and out of an external bladder, which allows them to sink, drift with the ocean currents and measure data as they rise to the surface.<\/p>\n

The floats send their data and location back to processing centres on land via the satellite network. Each float repeats this cycle every 10 days and can drift in the oceans measuring data for as long as 4 to 7 years.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Argo global array began in 2000 and is now a major component of the ocean observing system\u00a0with about 800 deployments per year. It is part of the global observing system which also includes drifter buoys and satellites and is managed by\u00a0<\/span>UNESCO\u2019s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC),<\/em>\u00a0working in partnership with national government agencies and oceanographic research institutions around the world.<\/p>\n

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Status of Argo Global Array – Feb 2015<\/p><\/div>\n

Global Warming Data<\/h2>\n

Data from the Argo floats has been crucial in demonstrating that much of the planetary warming has occurred in the deep ocean, especially in the Southern Ocean outside of the tropics. While sea surface temperatures have risen more slowly in recent years, heat has been absorbed throughout the ocean, a fact scientists are only now becoming aware of.<\/p>\n

The more Argo floats that can be deployed by ships and yachts in remote areas, the more this data will inform scientists as to the true state of the planet and the ocean.<\/p>\n

Blue Planet Odyssey deployment<\/h2>\n

Sailing yacht LIBBY<\/a>, crewed by Terry and Dena Singh, took onboard\u00a08 Argo floats in San Diego from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography <\/em>in California.\u00a0 There is a substantial gap in Argo coverage along 5\u00b0S in the eastern Pacific. The Argo floats had to be deployed in a specified line along 5\u00b0S which was something of a challenge for a small sailing boat.<\/p>\n

Terry and Dena enlisted the help of Chris and Jess on OM<\/em> who\u00a0were participating in the Pacific Odyssey<\/em> and they each took 4 floats to deploy.<\/p>\n

Libby<\/em> and OM<\/em> arranged for each of the Argo floats to be adopted by a School or organisation<\/p>\n

Here is\u00a0a record of all the Argo floats deployments:<\/strong>
The\u00a0Argo Floats Deployment\u00a0Hall of Fame<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

How are Argo floats manufactured?<\/h2>\n

Here is a film made by Terry and Dena Singh of LIBBY<\/em> on their visit to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography<\/em> to see how the Argo floats are manufactured, with Michael McClune who is Principal Development Engineer along with Argo specialist John Gilson.<\/p>\n