# Presentation: 695733

## The Argo Project: An International PartnershipDean Roemmich, International Argo Steering Team

**The role of partnerships in:**
**Creating Argo**
**Coordination of the Argo project**
**Providing floats**
**Deploying floats**
**Data management**
**Technology development**
**Utilization of Argo data**

**Argo has been created and implemented through international partnerships. The U.S. investment in Argo is greatly leveraged by partner efforts.**

**A Japan-Argo deployment**

## CreatingArgo

**The Argo Steering Team was a creation in 1998 of GODAE and CLIVAR’s Upper Ocean Panel, asked to “build an international consortium to implement and maintain the global array”.**
**International agency/agency partnerships have played an equally critical role.**
**For documentation on Argo design, data, meeting reports etc, see http://www-argo.ucsd.edu**

**A US Argo float is deployed by a NZ R/V on April 9, 2005 at 54****o****S 178****o****W; 1st profile 10 days later**

## International

**Coordination**

**The Argo Steering Team (Co-chairs D Roemmich and H Freeland) is responsible for international consensus and communications, regarding deployment strategies and planning, technology development, and science.**
**The Argo Data Management Team (Co-chairs S Pouliquen and M Ignaszewski) oversees protocols and procedures to ensure uniform datasets of best quality and timeliness (near-real time and delayed-mode). **
**The Argo Project Office (Director J Gould, Technical Coordinator M Belbeoch) provides a broad range of management and technical support (meeting planning and reporting, communications, array tracking, ....)**

**The Argo home page at**
**http://www-argo.ucsd.edu**

## Providing floats

**The U.S. provides 50% of the global Argo array. **
**International partners provide the other 50%.**

**Providing floats**

## Providing floats

| Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005* |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Floats deployed | 41 | 116 | 299 | 457 | 672 | 857 | 289 |  |  |
| Northern hemisphere | 37 | 67 | 223 | 327 | 376 | 373 | 85 |  |  |
| Southern hemisphere | 4 | 49 | 76 | 130 | 296 | 484 | 204 |  |  |

**All Argo partners have regional priorities, but all have agreed that a global array is the highest priority. The early northern hemisphere bias of the array is being corrected.**

**Providing floats**

***2005 floats deployed through April 26**

## XBT sampling has remained fairly steady in terms of profile numbers as the XBT networks evolve toward line sampling modes.

**XBT sampling has remained fairly steady in terms of profile numbers as the XBT networks evolve toward line sampling modes.**
**Argo is far more global than a ship-based system could ever be, provides salinity and reference velocity in addition to temperature, greater depth and better data quality than XBTs.**

## Deploying floats

**The geographic spread of Argo partners and their individual capabilities provide many opportunities for remote deployments. (e.g. French floats in eastern S Atlantic and western S Indian).**

**Float deployment in the western tropical Pacific is enabled without EEZ complications through concurrence of 14 SOPAC nations, who also provide regional logistical support.**

## Deployingfloats

**NIWA’s R/V Kaharoa is a highly cost effective vessel for float and drifter deployment.**

**A collaboration of U.S. and N.Z. Argo partners has resulted in deployment of 186 floats, plus surface drifters, in the South Pacific. **
**The N.Z. and SOPAC participation illustrates how small-nation Argo partners are playing a large role in Argo’s success.**

## Data

**management**

**International contributions to Argo data management include the CORIOLIS Global Argo Data Assembly Center in Brest. This contribution includes:**
** ****One of the two GDACs.**
** ****Development of formats and data exchange protocols.**
** ****Leadership of Argo’s Data Management Team. **
** ****Products using Argo data for GODAE.**

**CORIOLIS analysis of T and S at 1000 m, April 20, 2005.**

## Technology

**development**

**U.S. technologies dominate in Argo at present.**
**U.S. role in technology improvement is critical.**
**90% of Argo floats and 100% of CTDs are U.S. - built.**
**French-designed floats account for 10% of Argo. **
**A new design (gear pump) is being developed in Japan.**
**Competition is healthy for Argo.**

**U.S. APEX**
**70%**

**U.S. SOLO**
**20%**

**France**
**PROVOR**
**10%**

**Japan**
**design**

## Utilization of 

**Argo data**

**Argo data are used routinely in operational analysis and forecast systems in Australia, France, EU centers, Japan, UK and USA.**
**Argo is a primary source of subsurface data for GODAE and CLIVAR.**
**International scientific meetings: First Argo Science Workshop (Tokyo, 2003), IAPSO GODAE/Argo session (Cairns, 2005) and CLIVAR/Argo South Pacific Science Workshop (Concepcion, 2005). **
**A list of Argo publications is at http://www-argo.ucsd.edu.**
**Several initiatives will utilize Argo data in secondary education, including SEREAD and a pending application to ICSU. **

**Operational centers**
**Using Argo data**

## Conclusion

**Conclusion**

**International partners, large and small, play critical roles in all aspects of Argo implementation.**
**Partnerships not only make Argo possible, but also more affordable. Through leveraging, the U.S. cost per Argo CTD profile drops from about $200 to $100.**
**While the U.S. role in float technology is dominant, international efforts in utilizing Argo data are especially impressive.**

**Argo web portal at **
**http://www.argo.net**