Scientists aboard RV Tangaroa deploy Deep Argo floats in the Pacific Ocean waters off New Zealand in June 2014. Photo credit: Photo courtesy of LEARNZ
NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab and Paul G. Allen Philanthropies have teamed up in a groundbreaking partnership to expand Deep Argo ocean observations to improve our understanding of weather, climate and potential improve prediction of sea level rise. Deep Argo expands on the success of the Argo array but will dive up to 6,000 meters or 3.7 miles to collect data on temperature and salinity up in the lesser understood bottom half of the ocean.
“Putting Deep Argo floats in the western South Atlantic is another step toward a global Deep Argo array, which will illuminate key portions of our changing oceans,” said Gregory C. Johnson, PMEL oceanographer who will lead the project. “It’s like we’ve had a candle in a dark room and now we’re going to flip on the lamp. We’ll see all the details.”
Paul G. Allen Philanthropies has committed more than $4 million for the multi-year project, Jump-Starting Deep Argo. Allen’s research vessel R/V Petrel will deploy an array of these floats in the deep international waters east of Brazil. PMEL will provide scientific expertise and ongoing support of the array.
Abyssal ocean,
modulating climate change:
Deep Argo observes.
Read NOAA’s press release here.
Read Dr. Johnson’s guest blog post on paulallen.com