Marine Institute
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The UK Argo program is an active contributor to the international Argo program, offering a comprehensive data set vital for supporting global oceanographic research. The data set includes a mixture of near-real-time and delayed-mode data collected by profiling floats, quality controlled to operational ocean forecasting standards and to climate research standards respectively. Real-time data are available within 24 hours of the float surfacing, while delayed-mode data become available within 12 months of the profile date. UK Argo floats data are typically managed by the British Oceanographic Data Centre. Argo floats operate in profiling ‘cycles’, normally repeated every 10 days throughout their lifetime. As part of a cycle, floats drift at their parking depth of approximately 1000m for 5 or 10 days, then sink to 2000m before starting their ascent to the surface, taking temperature and conductivity measurements at regular intervals. Since 2012, biogeochemical sensors have gradually been rolled out across a portion of the UK Argo fleet, reflecting the broadening research focus of the international Argo program. The UK Argo data set now includes measurements of dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence, optical backscatter, pH, nitrate and irradiance. Moreover, an array of Deep Argo floats have recently been adding observations as deep as 6000m, and deployments have ventured to higher latitudes. The UK Argo data set has a variety of uses, including assimilation into operational weather forecasts in near-real-time to climate and ocean biogeochemistry research with the delayed mode data. In addition to its national efforts, the British Oceanographic Data Centre manages floats deployed by partner nations including Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, and Portugal. This collaboration underscores the cross-border cooperative nature of the program, which is fundamental to its world-wide success.