Argo Floats are instruments that float around in the ocean, measuring temperature and salinity (how salty the water is). They float at a parking depth of 1000m and move with the ocean current for 9 days. On the 10th day they sink to 2000m and for the next 10 hours , take measurements all the way back to the surface. Once on top of the water, they send this info off to a satellite and sink back down to 1000m for another 9 days. Argo Floats do this for over 5 years and there are more than 3600 floats all over the world.
(More info here -
Way Down South)
Google Earth has a cool application that allows you to see where all these floats are. Click here to get this.
Google Earth Argo Application
You'll find that your Google Earth will be covered in little green dots!
We are now able to adopt Argo Floats - hence the Argonaut Club.
We made some Cartesian divers to see how Argo Floats 'sink' and we also adopted an Argo Float. Float 5903324 is in the Southern Ocean and has travelled 292 km so far.
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