Biogeochemical Argo (BGC-Argo)

Biogeochemical Argo (BGC-Argo) is the chemistry-and-biology extension of the Argo profiling-float array, carrying sensors for oxygen, nitrate, pH, chlorophyll fluorescence, suspended particles (optical backscatter), and downwelling irradiance in addition to temperature and salinity. The design target is a sustained global fleet of about 1,000 floats measuring six core variables, set out by the international BGC-Argo science plan. Cycling like core Argo on a roughly 10-day pattern from a 1000 dbar park depth, BGC-Argo resolves the seasonal cycle of biological production, ocean acidification, and deoxygenation at depths and seasons ships rarely sample. It anchors carbon-uptake and oxygen-minimum-zone studies.