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GOMO-Funded Project

Arctic Argo

Deploying a float without stopping the ship requires special boxes to protect the floats. Here cross braces are assembled to protect the antenna on the RV Melville (photo by Capt. Maury)
  • Principal Investigator(s):
    • Stephen Jayne
  • Project Institution(s): Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
  • Fiscal Year: 2024
  • Award Period:
    05/01/2024 - 04/30/2027
This project received funding from the following: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act).

Multiple hazards associated with sea ice have deterred the Argo program from expanding instrument deployments into seasonally ice-covered regions. This project will advance sea ice detection autonomy in Argo floatation devices, allowing floats to operate efficiently without depleting battery life or risking damage from ice, thereby extending their deployment duration. Advancements include the implementation of passive acoustic tracking systems for subsurface geolocation and improved obstacle detection systems to prevent floats from being struck by ice floes. Data collected by the Argo floats in this project will include subsurface temperatures, salinity structures, circulation, and biogeochemical processes of the Arctic Ocean.

Milestones

  1. Year 1: Initial updates were made to the ice avoidance algorithms in the Argo floats used for this project. Testing began in a 10-meter tall tank at WHOI and later transitioned to field trials in the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska.
  2. Year 2: Floats deployed with LPD receivers were deployed. Additional updates to the ice detection algorithm were implemented based on the previous year’s deployment results.
  3. Year 3: Deployment of LPD-equipped BGC floats with oxygen and downwelling radiation sensors will commence. Continued refinements to ice avoidance autonomy based on results from the previous year’s deployments will be implemented.