Argo Float Data: Ocean Temperature and Salinity Measurements

Argo is a global partnership gathering high-quality measurements of temperature and salinity from the upper 2000 meters of the ice-free oceans, along with data on mid-depth currents. Data is collected by more than 3,000 battery-powered autonomous floats that drift at depth and complete approximately 150 cycles each. Argo Australia contributes by maintaining an array of profiling floats providing real-time observations of the oceans surrounding Australia.

Use Cases

• Model ocean circulation patterns based on temperature and salinity profiles
• Monitor climate change impacts on ocean properties based on time-series measurements
• Validate satellite-derived oceanographic data based on in-situ float measurements
• Study regional ocean dynamics around Australia based on Argo Australia's real-time observations

Strengths

• More than 3,000 autonomous floats provide global coverage
• Each float is designed to complete around 150 measurement cycles
• High-quality measurements from the upper 2000 meters of the ice-free oceans

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Data collected by autonomous floats that ascend to the surface approximately every 10 days.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 16:25:58.325757; freshness should be verified

Geography

Global ice-free oceans, with specific contributions from oceans surrounding Australia.