IMOS Biogeochemical Argo Profiles: Ocean Data from Floats Since 2002

Biogeochemical Argo floats deployed since 2002 profile the global ocean, measuring dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrate, and chlorophyll. The IMOS sub-facility, in collaboration with the US SOCCOM project, began deploying floats in the East Australia Current in 2019. Each float, identified by a WMO ID, typically completes a 10-day cycle from 2000 meters depth to the surface, with an average mission life of around 5 years for Australian floats.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean acidification trends based on pH measurements.
• Tracking phytoplankton biomass distribution based on chlorophyll fluorescence data.
• Analyzing dissolved oxygen levels to study ocean deoxygenation.
• Monitoring nutrient availability in different ocean basins based on nitrate readings.

Strengths

• Data collection began in 2002, providing a multi-decade time series.
• Profiles include biogeochemical variables like dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrate, and chlorophyll in addition to core temperature and salinity.
• Floats in the Australian program reportedly last around 5 years, enabling long-term monitoring.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to deployment locations in Australia's EEZ and the Southern Ocean.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN) via the IMOS Biogeochemical Argo sub-facility.

Collection Method

Data collected by autonomous profiling Argo floats that ascend through the water column and transmit via satellite.

Time Range

Since 2002.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 20:21:11.888160; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Worldwide oceans, with a focus on Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone, surrounding seas, and the Southern Ocean.