This document discusses the importance of global ocean observations and the Argo program. It notes that the ocean is critical for regulating climate and producing oxygen and food, yet is vulnerable to increasing human impacts. The Argo program uses autonomous profiling floats to monitor global ocean temperature, salinity and other variables in real-time. With over 4000 floats, Argo provides an unprecedented dataset but faces challenges maintaining full coverage. The summary calls on countries to increase support for Argo to ensure a complete, multidisciplinary global ocean observing system.

1. TARA / COP21 Paris, Dec. 2015
Global Ocean Observing System
& Argo
Mathieu Belbéoch
Argo Technical Coordinator
JCOMMOPS Head
belbeoch@jcommops.org
support@jcommops.org
https://twitter.com/jcommops

2. TARA / COP21 Paris, Dec. 2015
The Ocean
• The (ocean) planet is in age of increasing
human impact and vulnerability.
• « The sustainability of the planet depends
on the health of the ocean »
I. Bokova UNESCO DG

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Ocean Observations?
• CO2 …
• Heat content, sea ice, sea level
• Acidification, deoxygenation
• Resources over-exploitation
• Nutrients, sound, plastics
• Climate extremes
• Natural/non natural hazards
• Ecosystems health

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Ocean Observations?
• ¾ of human population lives in the coastal
zone …
• 60% of our proteins is produced by the ocean
• 60% of our oxygen is produced by the ocean
• 90 % of commercial transits via the ocean
• Ocean heat/carbon store
• Ocean is at the heart of climate machine

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Ocean Observations?
• Predict the impact of global/local changes on coastal communities
and nations
• Improve safety and efficiency of maritime operations
• Mitigate effects of hazards
• Guide international action and optimize government’s policies
• Shape economic strategies
• Enable sustained used of ocean resources
• Reduce public health risks, protect ecosystems
• Prepare high quality and multi-disciplinary datasets for use by future
generations
• Healthy ocean = healthy blue economy

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History
• British survey 1872-1876: Challenger

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WOCE
• There have been several attempts to do global surveys of the ocean,
Challenger was one, Meteor another. The very best was in the early to mid
1990s called WOCE – World Ocean Circulation Experiment.
• This was a huge effort, cost a lot of money, and took way too long, we
need to survey the ocean cheaper and much faster.

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History
• 60s: electronic, miniaturisation, … instrumentation
• Before the 80s, most of ocean observations were made via
research vessels (specific regional campaigns, expensive,
seasonal bias, data sequestrated)
• Advent of satellite measurements and in-situ moored/floating
instruments led to enormous improvements in our
understanding of the ocean
• Socioeconomic benefits of global ocean observations were
formally recognized in 1990 (GOOS establishment)
• The joint IOC-WMO commission for oceanography and marine
meteorology was then established in 1999 (JCOMM)
www.ioc-goos.org
www.jcomm.info

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Ocean Observations?
• In-situ
• Satellites
• Operational forecasting systems
– Weather
– « Ocean weather »
• Large range of global/regional ocean analysis,
including climate science and ecosystems health

10. TARA / COP21 Paris, Dec. 2015
Ocean Observations

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Ocean Observations
• Global observing programmes are funded and
implemented nationally
• International and technical coordination is
required between all actors
• IOC/UNESCO, WMO, JCOMM, GOOS ….
JCOMMOPS:
– coordination mecanism, developing standard
procedures, best practices for fully integrated marine
observing, data management, and services system

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JCOMMOPS
• IOC/WMO Operational Centre (Brest/France)
• international/intergovernmental context, transparency
• Monitor (10 000 units), coordinate and harmonize practices of sustained
international ocean observing programmes
• Measure the performance vs objectives

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www.jcommops.org
• Re - opening early 2016
• Currently under review

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Argo vision proposed in 1999
• And approved
• Target: 3000 floats …. T/S
• Achieved in 2007

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Argo revolution
• Unprecedented international cooperation in history of
oceanography
• Free and unrestricted data access
• ~4000 autonomous robots monitor the ocean in real-time

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Profiling Floats
• TEMPERATURE, SALINITY, PRESSURE (2000m)
• Subsurface currents
• Biogeochemical sensors (oxygen, chlorophyl,
nitrates, pH, etc)
• Others: acoustic listeners, cameras ..
• Operates 5-10 years, 15k$ / base unit
• 120 000 profiles/year (1 million achieved in 2012)

17. TARA / COP21 Paris, Dec. 2015
Float Cycle
• Cost WOCE CTD:
15 000$
• Cost Argo Profile
150$
• 100-1000 T/S
levels
Argo data in Labrado r Sea (Canada)

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Argo: Dominant ocean dataset
• WOCE: 8000 profiles / 7 years
• Argo: 10000 / month …

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Argo’s future (6000 units ?)
• Global (space/regional)
• Full depth: ocean warming below 2000m too (SO)!
• Multidisciplinary (Essential Ocean/Climate Variables)
3000 +1000
+1000+1000

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Argo Contributions
30 Participating countries

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Argo Contributions
Key contributors decreasing or flat (below inflation) funding

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Argo applications
• Ocean research: circulation/storage heat,
climate, rainfall/drought patterns,variability
• Operational oceanography (with satellite
data), climate prediction: seasons, years,
decades
• ideal vector for education and outreach

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Argo can monitor global climate change
Global [0;2000m] ocean heat content seen by Argo . Small signal detected in only 8 years.
Remarkable, due to uniform coverage and high quality of the dataset

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Argo trajectories give unprecedented
details of ocean circulation at 1000m
Ollitrault and Colin De Verdiere, 2014

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Argo
• Argo makes visible large-scale ocean and climate
features and processes that were once hidden to
scientists.
• The network has enabled new revelations about
ocean dynamics that are helping society
understand and forecast global climate.
• It will continue to take the pulses of the ocean for
many decades

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Argo
• Argo allows the progress of planetary
warming to be tracked in unprecedented
accuracy and in near realtime, due to the
fact that most of the extra heat trapped by
Greenhouse gases on Earth is absorbed into
the global ocean (90%).
• Argo network will start soon
degrading !!!

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Deployments
• Challenge: 1000 units / year ( +1000 surface
drifters)

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Civil Society
• Develop international cooperation
• Developing partnerships and sponsoring with
civil society is essential:
– Sailing (exploration, races, rallyes, NGOs)
– Blue economy
• Develop outreach (future generations)

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Conclusion
• GOOS System is not achieved (60%) and vulnerable
• Completion and multidisciplinary evolution seems
unachievable …
• In-situ ocean observations are crucial, but far
away from societal applications
• In-situ observations are cheap vs the outcomes
– Argo = 25 M$ / year …

31. TARA / COP21 Paris, Dec. 2015
Conclusion
Governing is observing …
CALL to UNFCC Member States:
i) Raise national contributions to help Argo become
truly global and multidisciplinary, and facilitate
access to Maritime Zones under their sovereignty.
ii) and help sustain the other in-situ elements of the
GOOS

32. TARA / COP21 Paris, Dec. 2015
Thank you
• Questions?
B. Stamm Barcelona World Race 2014-2015