"Today we gently lowered into the sea the
last of nine floats we have been deploying for the international Argo program. Not unlike a diver's buoyancy control jacket, each float has an
inflatable bladder that enables it to sink to 1 km depth, drift for 10 days and
then dive a further kilometre before rising to the surface and sending data
ashore by satellite. During its cycle it makes measurements of ocean
temperature and salinity that will be used to understand the changing ocean on
timescales of weeks to decades. These particular floats, deployed on behalf of
colleagues at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, join a fleet of over
3000 active floats contributed by over 20 countries, which between them provide
data that describe the global ocean with unprecedented detail. In the last 10
years, floats like these have gathered more ocean profiles than the entire
history of ocean observing put together. And they don't mind whether its night
or day, summer or winter, good weather or bad. Our float will continue its
lonely vigil in the cold dark ocean for 5 years, drifting wherever the currents
take it, visiting the surface briefly every ten days, until its batteries are
exhausted and it can no longer reach the surface or broadcast data. Its mission
will then be complete, its task to be taken up by a new float deployed from
another research expedition not yet planned."
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| Letting go of the float! |
Many thanks to Louis St. Laurent for the photos of the deployment. We are currently steaming northwards towards Punta Arenas, and should reach our berth around 4pm tomorrow. After the completion of the final data processing and compilation of the ever-important cruise report, it will be time to start packing up our equipment...
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