What three ocean properties do most Argo floats measure?
What three ocean properties do most Argo floats measure?
All Argo floats carry sensors to measure the temperature and salinity of the ocean as they vary with depth, but an increasing number of floats also carry other sensors, such as for measuring dissolved oxygen and ultimately other variables of biological and chemical interest such as chlorophyll, nutrients and pH.
What are the Argo float principles?
How does an Argo float work? In order to dive, the Argo float uses the Archimedes’ principle. It implements a mechanism of modification of its volume, its constant mass remaining. The system functions thanks to a bladder and a reserve of oil.
How often do the Argo floats profile?
every 10 days
The array has roughly 3800 floats and each float provides a profile of temperature and salinity every 10 days. The Program collects about 140,000 profiles a year at a cost of around $200 per profile.
What does Argo stand for ocean?
floats
The name Argo was chosen because the array of floats works in partnership with the Jason earth observing satellites that measure the shape of the ocean surface. (In Greek mythology Jason sailed on his ship the Argo in search of the golden fleece).
What is the ARGO system?
Argo is an international program that calls for the deployment of 3,000 free drifting profiling floats, distributed over the global oceans, which will measure the temperature and salinity in the upper 2,000m of the ocean providing 100,000 T/S profiles and reference velocity measurements per year.
What causes a Halocline?
A halocline is also a layer of separation between two water masses by difference in density, but this time it is not caused by temperature. It occurs when two bodies of water come together, one with freshwater and the other with saltwater. Saltier water is denser and sinks leaving fresh water on the surface.
What are Argo profiles?
What are ARGO floats and why are they important?
What is Argo? Argo is a global array of 3,800 free-drifting profiling floats that measures the temperature and salinity of the upper 2000 m of the ocean.
Why ARGO floats are important?
Argo is a global array of 3,800 free-drifting profiling floats that measures the temperature and salinity of the upper 2000 m of the ocean. These sensors allow scientists, for the first time to monitor decadal changes in the ocean ecosystem.
What do ARGO floats measure?
Argo measurements An Argo Float measures: salinity (amount of salt in the water) measures in parts per thousand. temperature in degrees Centigrade (°C)
Why Argo floats are important?
Where are ARGOs made?
Where are ARGOs made? The Argo is an amphibious ATV created in Kitchener, Ont., by Ontario Drive & Gear (ODG) in 1967. ODG designs and manufactures power transmissions and gears for the North American market.
How does the Argo program work in the ocean?
What is Argo? Argo is an international program that collects information from inside the ocean using a fleet of robotic instruments that drift with the ocean currents and move up and down between the surface and a mid-water level. Each instrument (float) spends almost all its life below the surface.
How many Argo floats are there in the ocean?
Argo is an international program that calls for the deployment of 3,000 free drifting profiling floats, distributed over the global oceans, which will measure the temperature and salinity in the upper 2,000m of the ocean providing 100,000 T/S profiles and reference velocity measurements per year.
How does the Argo home program affect science?
The program has changed the way scientists think about collecting data and provided additional spin off such as how to collaborate internationally and how to develop a data management that can be used for the scientific community. Data is crucial for weather forecast and provides information for climate and the biological ocean.
When did the international array of Argo floats start?
The need for a homogeneous global observing system led to the implementation of the international array of Argo profiling floats in the year 1999 (Roemmich and Gilson, 2009; Roemmich et a., 2009).