Argo-type profiling float observations under the Arctic multiyear ice

Abstract

To monitor and better understand temperature and salinity conditions in the Arctic Ocean interior, we developed a new Argo-type ocean profiling system for the polar oceans. This Polar Ocean Profiling System (POPS) consists mainly of an ice platform and an Argo-type subsurface CTD profiler. The ice platform includes a system controller that manages all data acquisition, processing, formatting, and messaging. Iridium satellite communication technology sends the observation data and also allows remote commands to be sent from the laboratory to the buoy. The profiler is mounted on an oceanographic cable interfaced to the platform; the profiler moves along the cable between depths of 10 and 1000 m. The inductive modem system provides data transfer between the ice platform and the profiler. In April 2005, field tests of the POPS were conducted in the Arctic Ocean near the North Pole. Later on, commands were sent via Iridium from the laboratory to the buoy to change the data sampling acquisition frequency, allowing us to obtain 14 temperature and salinity profiles during the first 22 days. We confirmed that POPS could measure temperature and salinity with conservative accuracies better than 0.01 °C for temperature and 0.01 for salinity. Following this test, we initiated the observation of the Arctic Ocean from 10 m down to 1000 m depths in April 2006 using POPS, and we also started sending the data to the global telecommunication system (GTS) in real time. These data are the first Argo data sent from the Arctic Ocean. Not only Arctic oceanographers but also everyone who is interested in Arctic oceanographic conditions can easily access these data from the Argo data server.