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OceThe OFFiciaaL MaganZineog OF the Oceanographyra Spocietyhy CITATION Roemmich, D., and the Argo Steering Team. 2009. Argo: The challenge of continuing 10 years of progress. Oceanography 22(3):46–55, doi:10.5670/oceanog.2009.65. COPYRIGHT This article has been published inOceanography , Volume 22, Number 3, a quarterly journal of The Oceanography Society. Copyright 2009 by The Oceanography Society. All rights reserved. USAGE Permission is granted to copy this article for use in teaching and research. Republication, systematic reproduction, or collective redistribution of any portion of this article by photocopy machine, reposting, or other means is permitted only with the approval of The Oceanography Society. Send all correspondence to: [email protected] or The Oceanography Society, PO Box 1931, Rockville, MD 20849-1931, USA. doWNLoaded From WWW.tos.org/oceanography GODAE SPECIAL IssUE FEATURE Argo TLHE CHAL ENGE of CONTINUING 10 YeaRS OF PROGRESS BY DEAN RoeMMICH and THE ARGO STEERING TeaM A PROVOR float shortly before recovery by Japan Coast Guard Vessel Takuyo. Courtesy of K. Suehiro, Japan Coast Guard 46 Oceanography Vol.22, No.3 ABSTRACT. In only 10 years, the Argo Program has grown from an idea into a enhancing Argo’s value in the coming functioning global observing system for the subsurface ocean. More than 3000 Argo years, with attention to ocean data floats now cover the world ocean. With these instruments operating on 10-day cycles, assimilation (ODA) applications. The the array provides 9000 temperature/salinity/depth profiles every month that are next section describes plans that include quickly available via the Global Telecommunications System and the Internet. Argo improvements to data coverage and is recognized as a major advance for oceanography, and a success for Argo’s parent to data quality, followed by a section programs, the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment and Climate Variability describing gridded Argo data prod- and Predictability, and for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. The ucts, how they differ from historical value of Argo data in ocean data assimilation (ODA) and other applications is being counterparts, and their effectiveness demonstrated, and will grow as the data set is extended in time and as experience in resolving large-scale variability for in using the data set leads to new applications. The spatial coverage and quality of comparison and evaluation of ODA the Argo data set are improving, with consideration being given to sampling under models. The final section addresses seasonal ice at higher latitudes, in additional marginal seas, and to greater depths. the need to examine the consistency of Argo data products of value in ODA modeling are under development, and Argo Argo and in situ and satellite-derived data are being tested to confirm their consistency with related satellite and in situ surface data sets. Consistency is a key data. Maintenance of the Argo Program for the next decade and longer is needed issue for integrating global observations for a broad range of climate and oceanographic research and for many operational through ODA models. applications in ocean state estimation and prediction. THE EvoLUTIon of ARgo New Argo Domains, Sensors, InTRodUCTIon continuous, consistent, and accurate and Sampling Enhancements Data assimilating models of the histor- sampling of the present-day and future Argo is a broad-scale array designed ical ocean for the period 1950–2000 are states of the ocean. Profiling float to accumulate about 100 profiles per limited to using subsurface data sets that technology removes the constraint season in every 10° square of ocean. The were “opportunistic” in nature rather of needing to have a ship present at array is not eddy-resolving, but eddy than purposefully designed for regular the time of measurement, making it noise is reduced by averaging over many global coverage, and are consequently possible to obtain high-quality data profiles in a region to estimate large- deficient in some respects. The historical anywhere at any time. Argo is designed scale variability. The design was based data were collected mostly for regional to observe large-scale (seasonal and on statistics from satellite altimetric objectives and were restricted to the longer, thousand kilometer and larger) height and from earlier subsurface ocean tracks of research vessels and commer- subsurface ocean variability globally data sets (Roemmich et al., 1999). The cial ships. These limitations ensured (Roemmich et al., 1999). The combi- prescribed 3° x 3° x 10-day spacing of the sparseness and inhomogeneity in spatial nation of the array’s high-quality array between 60°S and 60°N decreases and temporal data distribution, even in temperature and salinity sensors and the distance between instruments with the relatively well-sampled Northern its comprehensive data management increasing latitude, but not as steeply as Hemisphere oceans. Few measurements system produces climate-quality data, the statistics of variability indicate to be were collected south of 30°S. In addition with new techniques being developed appropriate (e.g., Stammer, 1997). The to sparseness, the historical data are of to identify and minimize systematic present design is a compromise made uneven quality, with a mixture of instru- errors. With the global array providing for accurate mapping of tropical climate ment types and problems due to system- 9000 temperature/salinity profiles per variability (see section below on “The atic errors (e.g., Wijffels et al., 2008). month (Figure 1), Argo has far surpassed Argo-Era Global Ocean”) while taking a The Argo Program presents a unique its historical precursors in data more exploratory approach to the high- opportunity to correct many of these coverage and accuracy. latitude ocean. Using five years of global shortcomings in order to obtain more Here, we summarize plans for Argo data accumulated from 2004–2008, Oceanography September 2009 47 and simultaneous altimetric height data, additional floats are needed there? Glider with oxygen sensors. Prototype floats the Argo design is being revisited. An technology (Davis et al., 2002) makes carrying many other new sensors have important question is whether interan- systematic sampling of ocean boundary been deployed. Present float designs are nual variability at middle and high lati- currents a possibility. What are the not capable of operating below 2000 m, tudes is being resolved adequately. Argo global requirements for high-resolution but such measurements may be required should be sustained in order to increase sampling in the boundary currents because decadal climate signals are the value of its present five-year global and marginal seas, to complement the known to extend into the deepest layers. time series, but it can evolve for greater broad-scale Argo array? New sensors for Deep sampling will require develop- efficiency and effectiveness. biological and geochemical parameters, mental work on both floats and sensors. Beyond the design of the Argo for wind and rainfall, and for better Careful planning is needed to determine array, recent developments in profiling sampling of temperature and salinity effective strategies for deployment of any float technology create opportunities structure in the ocean’s surface layer extensions to the Argo array. for extending Argo’s core objectives could all increase Argo’s value, but also (Roemmich et al., 2009). Some floats its cost. The addition of oxygen sensors Improving Argo Implementation are now active in the seasonally ice- to Argo floats holds high promise for Evolving the Argo Program not only covered zones poleward of 60°. What addressing global carbon cycle issues means reviewing its design and objec- should be Argo’s sampling plan for the (Riser and Johnson, 2008), and over tives, but also improving its imple- high-latitude ocean, and how many 100 Argo floats are presently equipped mentation with respect to the original 60°E 120°E 180° 120°W 60°W 0° 80°N 400 300 60°N 200 100 40°N 75 50 20°N 25 20 0° 15 20°S 10 5 40°S 4 3 60°S 2 1 10000 9000 Profiles/month 8000 Floats/month 7000 t 6000 oun C 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 JFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJ JASONDJFMAMJ JASONDJFMAMJ JASONDJFMAMJ JASONDJFM 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Figure 1. (Top) Map of the number of good Argo profiles obtained in each 1° x 1° box during the period January 2004 to March 2009. (Bottom) Number of floats per month (red) providing good data and number of good profiles per month (green). 48 Oceanography Vol.22, No.3 objectives. Although more than half of active Argo floats are presently south of the equator, the Southern Hemisphere is under-sampled relative to the original program design (Figure 2). Indeed, over the Southern Hemisphere, the present Argo array is more than 500 floats short of its designed number. This shortfall in the number of floats, in spite of Argo having achieved 3000 active instruments, is due to a combination of factors. Many floats are deployed in marginal seas or poleward of 60°, and although these are of value, they were not considered in Argo’s original design. Other instru- Figure 2. Blue bars show the number of Argo floats per 10° of latitude providing good ments are not producing good profile profile data as of March 2009, excluding those in marginal seas. Red bars show Argo’s design requirement for 3° x 3° open ocean sampling. data due to technical failures, which is being corrected through deployment of improved instruments. The coverage shortfall requires increased attention 2003), which might consist of either Second, pressure offsets have been to Southern Hemisphere deployments shipboard conductivity-temperature- identified in some floats (e.g., Willis by Argo national programs. Occasional depth (CTD) data or nearby float data. et al., 2007; Uchida and Imawaki, 2008), ship visits to the remote regions of the ocean are essential for maintaining Dean Roemmich ([email protected]) is Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Argo.