RV Investigator BGC-Argo Float Data: Southern Ocean Observations

Biogeochemical Argo profiling floats deployed from the RV Investigator collect high-resolution measurements of ocean physical and biogeochemical properties. The data support investigations into the biological carbon pump, ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and anthropogenic CO₂ uptake. These in situ observations are essential for validating satellite products and improving spatial and temporal coverage in the Southern Hemisphere.

Use Cases

• Investigating variability in the ocean's biological carbon pump based on chlorophyll fluorescence and particulate backscatter measurements.
• Assessing long-term trends in ocean deoxygenation and acidification based on dissolved oxygen and pH time series.
• Validating satellite-based biogeochemical and ocean colour products using in situ measurements of key variables.
• Monitoring the uptake of anthropogenic CO₂ by the ocean based on pH and related biogeochemical profiles.

Strengths

• Data is described as high-resolution, suggesting detailed vertical profiles.
• Cross-platform presence on data.gov.au indicates importance and sustained availability.

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as row count, column names, file size, license, and author are consistently missing from all provided sources.
• The dataset's temporal and spatial coverage is not explicitly defined, limiting assessment of its scope.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Observations collected by Biogeochemical Argo (BGC-Argo) profiling floats deployed during RV Investigator voyages.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-06-17.

Geography

Southern Hemisphere, with a focus on regions covered by RV Investigator voyages.