Successful Argo float deployments are key to maintaining the Argo array and encouraging long float lifetimes. Many groups within Argo use ships of opportunity to deploy their floats and it is important to be able to provide clear, easy to follow instructions for these ships on how to deploy the floats as well any other tasks that are needed such as recording the location and time of deployment.
Core Argo
A GOOS endorsed Core Argo Best Practices document includes information on float procurement, handling and deployment: https://repository.oceanbestpractices.org/handle/11329/2387
BGC Argo
The BGC Argo Best Practices document is a great resource for information on how to handle and deploy BGC Argo floats: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00502/full
Argo Technical Community of Practice
The Argo Technical Community of Practice is a forum for collaboration, knowledge sharing and coordinated action to establish, review and refine best practice procedures for pre-deployment testing of floats to eliminate premature deaths and performance-debilitating failures for core and BGC Argo. All are welcome to join and meetings occur quarterly as needed.
Coordination and Planning
The Argo Steering Team has established working groups to facilitate basin-scale coordination among float deployers. These groups share information on future vessel schedules and points of contact to maximize opportunities to deploy floats in under-sampled ocean regions. Virtual meetings are held several times each year to exchange information, and are open to anyone interested in participating.
Points of Contact:
Atlantic Ocean: Fiona Carse email: fiona.carse@metoffice.gov.uk
Pacific Ocean: Sarah Purkey email: spurkey@ucsd.edu
Indian Ocean: Tammy Morris email: t.morris@saeon.nrf.ac.za
Resources
If you have float type specific questions, please ask the Technical Community of Practice who can put you in contact with a float type expert.
Technical workshops
Technical workshops have focused on different float types and cover a variety of topics including suggested pre-deployment testing, float set up and more. To look at information from these workshops, click here https://argo.ucsd.edu/organization/argo-meetings/float-technical-workshops/.