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Argo is a system for observing temperature, salinity, and currents in the Earth's oceans which has been operational since the early 2000s. The real-time data it provides is used in climate and oceanographic research.〔(Argo Begins Systematic Global Probing of the Upper Oceans Toni Feder, Phys. Today 53, 50 (2000), ) 〕 A special research interest is to quantify the ocean heat content (OHC). Argo consists of a fleet of almost 4000 drifting profiling floats deployed worldwide. Each Argo float weighs 20–30 kg. Profiling floats are commonly used in oceanography and become "Argo floats" only when they are deployed in conformity with the Argo data policy. In most cases probes drift at a depth of 1000 metres (the so-called parking depth) and, every 10 days, by changing their buoyancy, dive to a depth of 2000 metres and then move to the sea-surface, measuring conductivity and temperature profiles as well as pressure. From these, salinity and density can be calculated. Seawater density is important in determining large-scale motions in the ocean. Average current velocities at 1000 metres are directly measured by the distance and direction a float drifts while parked at that depth, which is determined by GPS or Argos system positions at the surface. The data are transmitted to shore via satellite, and are freely available to everyone, without restrictions. The Argo program is named after the Greek mythical ship ''Argo'' to emphasize the complementary relationship of Argo with the Jason satellite altimeters. == International collaboration == The Argo program is a collaborative partnership of more than 30 nations from all continents (most shown on the graphic map in this article) to provide a seamless global array allowing any country to explore the ocean environment. Argo is a component of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). Argo is coordinated by the Argo Steering Team – an international body of scientists and technical experts that meets once per year. The Argo data stream is managed by the Argo Data Management Team. Overall coordination is provided through the Argo Information Centre, an office belonging to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission which also coordinates GOOS, and the World Meteorological Organization. Argo is also supported by GEO (the Group on Earth Observations), and has been endorsed since its early beginnings by the World Climate Research Programme’s CLIVAR Project (Variability and predictability of the ocean-atmosphere system), and by the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE OceanView). An animation for children was created recently by IMOS (Integrated Marine Observing Strategy, Australia) showing how Argo works.〔 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Argo (oceanography)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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