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Fifteen years of ocean observations with the global Argo array

Nature Climate Change volume 6, pages 145–153 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

More than 90% of the heat energy accumulation in the climate system between 1971 and the present has been in the ocean. Thus, the ocean plays a crucial role in determining the climate of the planet. Observing the oceans is problematic even under the most favourable of conditions. Historically, shipboard ocean sampling has left vast expanses, particularly in the Southern Ocean, unobserved for long periods of time. Within the past 15 years, with the advent of the global Argo array of profiling floats, it has become possible to sample the upper 2,000 m of the ocean globally and uniformly in space and time. The primary goal of Argo is to create a systematic global network of profiling floats that can be integrated with other elements of the Global Ocean Observing System. The network provides freely available temperature and salinity data from the upper 2,000 m of the ocean with global coverage. The data are available within 24 hours of collection for use in a broad range of applications that focus on examining climate-relevant variability on seasonal to decadal timescales, multidecadal climate change, improved initialization of coupled ocean–atmosphere climate models and constraining ocean analysis and forecasting systems.

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Figure 1: The typical cycle of an Argo float.
Figure 2: The sampling density of profiles reported by Argo floats.
Figure 3: Mean temperature over the period 2004–2010 in the global ocean.
Figure 4: Convection in the Labrador Sea.
Figure 5: Argo estimates of global heat content.

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Acknowledgements

Argo data were collected and made freely available by the International Argo Programme and the national programmes that contribute to it. The Argo Programme is part of the Global Ocean Observing System. Thanks to Igor Yashayaev for constructing Fig. 4 as his contribution to the Atlantic Zone Off-Shelf Monitoring Program (led by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada) and to the International Argo Programme.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, 98195, Washington, USA

    Stephen C. Riser

  2. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institute of Ocean Sciences, North Saanich, V8L 4B2, British Columbia, Canada

    Howard J. Freeland

  3. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 9500 Gilman Drive, 0230, La Jolla, 92093-0230, California, USA

    Dean Roemmich

  4. Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, CSIRO, Hobart, 7004, Tasmania, Australia

    Susan Wijffels & Ann Thresher

  5. Servicio de Hidrografia Naval, A. Montes de Oca 2124, Buenos Aires, C1270, ABV, Argentina

    Ariel Troisi

  6. Joint Commission on Oceanography and Marine Meteorology Operations (JCOMMOPS), BP 70, Plouzané, 29280, France

    Mathieu Belbéoch

  7. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, Mont-Joli, G5H 3Z4, Quebec, Canada

    Denis Gilbert

  8. The Second Institute of Oceanography, SOA, No. 36 Baochubei Road, Hangzhou, 310012, Zhejiang, China

    Jianping Xu

  9. IFREMER, BP70, Plouzané, 29280, France

    Sylvie Pouliquen & Guillaume Maze

  10. Ifremer & Mercator Océan, 8-10 rue Hermes Parc Technologique du Canal, Ramonville, 31520, St. Agne, France

    Pierre-Yves Le Traon

  11. Bundesamt fuer Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie, Bernhard-Nocht-str., 78, Hamburg, 20359, Germany

    Birgit Klein

  12. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad, 500090, Andhra Pradesh, India

    M. Ravichandran

  13. International Programmes, Marine Institute, Wilton Park House, Wilton Place, 2, Dublin, Ireland

    Fiona Grant

  14. OGS, Borgo Grotta Gigante, 42/c, Sgonico, 20359, Trieste, Italy

    Pierre-Marie Poulain

  15. JAMSTEC and Tohoku University, Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-3, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, 980-8578, Miyagi, Japan

    Toshio Suga

  16. National Institute of Meteorological Sciences/KMA, 33 Seohobuk-ro, Seogwipo-si, 63568, Jeju-do, Korea

    Byunghwan Lim

  17. KNMI, PO Box 201, de Bilt, 3730 AE, The Netherlands

    Andreas Sterl

  18. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Reseach, 301 Evans Bay Parade, Greta Point, 6021, Wellington, New Zealand

    Philip Sutton

  19. Institute of Marine Research, PO Box 1870 Nordnes, Bergen, 5817, Norway

    Kjell-Arne Mork

  20. Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Vía Espaldón, Dársena Pesquera, Parcela 8, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 38180, España

    Pedro Joaquín Vélez-Belchí

  21. Oceanography Department, Marine Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa

    Isabelle Ansorge

  22. National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, Empress Dock, Southampton, S014 3ZH, Hampshire, UK

    Brian King

  23. Met Office, FitzRoy Road, Exeter, EX1 3PB, Devon, UK

    Jon Turton

  24. AOML/NOAA, 4301 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, 33149, Florida, USA

    Molly Baringer

  25. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, 02543, Massachusetts, USA

    Steven R. Jayne

Authors
  1. Stephen C. Riser
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  2. Howard J. Freeland
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Contributions

The paper was written by S.C.R. (60%) and H.J.F. (40%), with editorial comments and suggestions provided by the remaining co-authors who have all served as members of the Argo Steering Team and so have contributed significantly to the Argo programme.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Howard J. Freeland.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Riser, S., Freeland, H., Roemmich, D. et al. Fifteen years of ocean observations with the global Argo array. Nature Clim Change 6, 145–153 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2872

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