This document discusses the Argo system, an international collaboration that collects temperature, salinity, and current data from the top 2000m of the global oceans using autonomous profiling floats. Argo provides real-time data for climate and oceanographic research, including quantifying ocean heat content. The system has been operational since the early 2000s and consists of battery-powered floats that drift and profile the water column, transmitting data. Argo data is used for initializing models and data assimilation to improve ocean and climate forecasts.