- 1University of Brest, Plouzané, France (nicolas.kolodziejczyk@univ-brest.fr)
- 2CSIRO, Hobart, Australia
- *A full list of author appears at the end of the abstract
Since 2000, the international Argo program has measured in situ Essential Oceanographic Variables (EOVs) across the global oceans using a fleet of robotic profiling floats. The global Argo array has revolutionized oceanography by providing more than 3 million of high quality profiles in near real-time (within 24 hrs) and in delayed-mode to the scientific and operational communities. Argo data is freely available from two Global Data Access Centres. In 2019, the OneArgo program has endorsed new missions including biogeochemical variables (BGC Mission), the deep oceans below 2000m (Deep Argo Mission) and to the polar regions (Polar Argo Mission).
Observations of the polar oceans are critical to understanding earth’s climate, heat, freshwater and carbon budgets and future sea level rise. Argo floats have been deployed in the polar oceans since 2001. Two-way Iridium communications and ice-detection algorithms introduced in the mid 2000’s improved float longevity and return of data collected beneath ice. Survival rates for polar floats are now equivalent to those of core floats. Polar Argo floats are a proven platform for high-quality, cost-effective, broad-scale observations of the seasonally ice-covered oceans, even sampling beneath ice shelves. Despite significant progress, our polar regions are the most under-sampled regions in the global ocean. Remaining challenges include sustained funding pathways for a scaled-up Polar Argo array, filling observational gaps and further improving under-ice positioning capability.
The Polar Argo Mission Team has been established to encourage international coordination in the development of the polar Argo array, share knowledge of scientific and technological advances, develop best-practices, improve setting and post-processing techniques for under-ice profiles, and strengthen interactions with the other Argo Mission Teams, international programs, expert groups, and the operational oceanography community. Here, we will review the status of the Polar Argo array, report on recent advances in science and technology and highlight remaining challenges and knowledge gaps.
Christina Schallenberg, CSRIO, Hobart, Australia, christina.schallenberg@csiro.au Craig Lee, APL, Washington, USA, craig@apl.washington.edu Kaihe Yamazaki, UTAS, Hobart, Australia, kaihe.yamazaki@utas.edu.au Krissy Anne Reeve, AWI, Germany, Krissy.Reeve@awi.de Markus Janout, AWI, Germany, markus.janout@awi.de Pasquale Castagno, University of Acona, Italy, pcastagno@unime.it Pier Paolo Falco, University of Messina, Italy, pierpaolo.falco@staff.univpm.it Simo-Matti Siiria, FMI, Finland, Simo-Matti.Siiria@fmi.fi Agnieszka Beszczynska-Möller, IOPAN, Poland, abesz@iopan.gda.pl Birgit Klein, BSH, Germany, Birgit.Klein@bsh.de Camille Lique, Ifremer, France, camille.lique@ifremer.fr Romain CANCOUET, EURO-ARGO, France, romain.cancouet@euro-argo.eu Christine COATANOAN, Ifremer, France, Christine.Coatanoan@ifremer.fr Claire Gourcuff, EURO-ARGO, France, claire.gourcuff@euro-argo.eu Colin Stedmon, DTU, Danmark, cost@aqua.dtu.dk Denise Fernandez, NIWA, New Zeland, Denise.Fernandez@niwa.co.nz Kamila Walicka, NOC, UK, kamwal@noc.ac.uk Kjell Arne Mork, IMR, Bergen, Norway, kjell.arne.mork@hi.no Mathieu Ardyna, Takuvik, Canada, Mathieu.Ardyna@takuvik.ulaval.ca Matthew B. Alkire, University of Washington, USA, alkirem@uw.edu Meike Martins, BSH, Germany, Meike.Martins@bsh.de Milena Menna, OGS, Italy, mmenna@ogs.it Nicolas Kolodziejczyk, University of Brest, France, Nicolas.Kolodziejczyk@univ-brest.fr Noé POFFA, Ifremer, France, Noe.Poffa@ifremer.fr Pedro Llanillo, CSIC, Spain, pedro.llanillo@ieo.csic.es Pierre Dutrieux, BAS, UK, pierre.dutrieux@bas.ac.uk Clark Richards, DFO, Canada, Clark.Richards@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Riesna R. Audh, SAEON, South Africa, rr.audh@saeon.nrf.ac.za Shigeki Hosoda, JAMSTEC, Japan, hosodas@jamstec.go.jp Steve Jayne, WHOI, USA, sjayne@whoi.edu Stephen C. Riser, University of Washington, USA, riser@uw.edu Taco de Bruin, NIOZ, Nederland, Taco.de.Bruin@nioz.nl Tammy Morris, SAEON, South Africa, t.morris@saeon.nrf.ac.za Esmee Van Wijk, CSRIO, HObart, Australia, Esmee.vanWijk@csiro.au Waldemar Walczowski, IOPAN, Poland, walczowski@iopan.pl Taiyo Kobayashi, JAMSTEC, Japan, taiyok@jamstec.go.jp
How to cite: Kolodziejczyk, N. and Van Wijk, E. and the Polar Argo Mission Team: OneArgo Polar Mission : Status, highlights and challenges, One Ocean Science Congress 2025, Nice, France, 3–6 Jun 2025, OOS2025-758, https://doi.org/10.5194/oos2025-758, 2025.
