From HMS Challenger to Argo and beyond
From HMS Challenger to Argo and beyond
Ocean profile data; their history, uses and future prospects.
Wednesday 21 November 2018.
A one-day meeting jointly sponsored by the History Groups of
The Royal Meteorological Society and The Challenger Society for Marine Science.
Knowledge of the temperature and salinity of the oceans is fundamental to our understanding of their internal dynamics and is increasingly important to a wide range of ocean and climate applications. This meeting will show how our ability to collect, process and collate these observations has developed up to the present day with the information from about 3,800 Argo profilers provides global-scale, high-quality information throughout the year.
The meeting will then show how these individual profiles are assembled into products and how those products are used in a wide range of applications, including climate change studies. To conclude, the meeting will first explore the international framework within which these data are collected and co-ordinated. Finally it will look towards the future, discussing how the collection of ocean profile data is expected to expand to other parameters and using new observing systems.
We plan that there will be opportunities to see Argo floats being prepared for deployment, together with the wide range of NOC’s ocean gliders and autonomous vehicles that will be an integral part of the future of ocean profiling.
While focused on the scientific aspects of ocean profiles, the meeting will highlight key points in the development over the past 140 years of our present-day capabilities.
Programme
Time |
Task |
Lead |
10.30 – 11.00 |
Tea and Coffee |
|
11.00 – 11.10 |
Introduction |
Prof. Chris Folland Met Office Fellow (retired) |
11.10 – 11.40 |
From thermometers to robots - evolution and revolution |
Dr John Gould Emeritus Fellow, NOC Southampton. |
11.40 – 12.10 |
Argo - How it came about, how it works, what it delivers |
Dr Brian King NOC, Southampton |
12.10 – 12.40 |
How good are past and present ocean profile data? |
Dr Victor Gouretski, Chinese Academy of Sciences |
12.40 – 13.40 |
Lunch/exhibits/lab tour |
|
13.40 – 14.10 |
Making a data product from ocean profiles – the EN4 experience. |
Dr Rachel Killick Met Office |
14.10 – 14.40 |
How ocean profile products are used – climate change applications. |
Drs Matthew Palmer, Laura Jackson Met Office |
14.40 – 15.10 |
How products are used – seasonal – decadal forecasts. |
Dr Leon Hermanson Met Office |
15.10 – 15.30 |
Refreshment Break |
|
15.30 – 16.00 |
Global Coordination of Ocean Observations: Progress, challenges and opportunities |
Dr Katy Hill WMO, Geneva |
16.00 – 16.30 |
Beyond Argo: ocean gliders and sensors on seals |
Prof. Karen Heywood University of East Anglia |
16.30 – 17.00 |
Wrap-up discussion and time to explore what the Challenger Soc. and Roy. Met. Soc. might do to promote the coverage of marine science history. |
|
To Register: Registration now closed.
Support for student participation
Applications for student bursaries have now closed
Directions to the NOC
For directions to the NOC please click here
Supported by
The National Oceanography Centre
European Way
Southampton, Hampshire
SO14 3ZH