Since its formation in 1999, the Argo program has revolutionized how scientists study the ocean. Today over 3800 floats monitor ocean conditions around the world, providing extraordinary amounts of data and shaping our understanding of the planet. However, despite their utility, standard profiling floats are limited to the upper 2000 meters of the ocean, leaving our knowledge of the ocean’s deepest basins lacking the resolution of the surface.
Thus, the Deep Argo float was born.
Reminiscent of spherical lanterns, the Deep Argo floats can dive to 6000 meters depth to shed light on abyssal conditions. They incorporate the Sea-Bird Scientific Deep Argo CTD (SBE 61) for high-accuracy measurements required by deep ocean research. The Paul Allen Foundation has committed over $4 million to the Jump-Starting Deep Argo project, aiming to move Deep Argo floats out of the pilot phase and into full operation. To learn more about Deep Argo, watch the video.