Ocean & coastal analytics · International Argo program (coordinated via the Argo Steering Team and IOC; US operations led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography)

Argo Program

International network of autonomous ocean-profiling floats providing free, near-real-time temperature and salinity data.

Argo is an international science program that maintains a fleet of several thousand autonomous, robotic floats drifting with ocean currents and profiling temperature and salinity from the surface to roughly 2,000 meters depth, surfacing periodically to transmit data by satellite. It is jointly funded and operated by national programs from more than 30 countries, coordinated internationally through the Argo Steering Team and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, with major US contributions from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The OneArgo expansion is adding biogeochemical sensors, deep-ocean floats and polar coverage. Data is distributed at no cost through Global Data Assembly Centers and the Global Telecommunication System, and is a primary input to ocean reanalyses, climate models and services such as Copernicus Marine.

At a glance

Vendor International Argo program (coordinated via the Argo Steering Team and IOC; US operations led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
Pricing model Free
Free tier Yes
Deployment Cloud
Open source No
Best for Oceanographers and climate scientists needing free, global subsurface ocean temperature and salinity data.

Pricing

Free international scientific program funded by participating national agencies; data is openly distributed.

Pricing has not been verified yet — see the vendor's site.

Features

  • Global fleet of autonomous profiling floats measuring temperature and salinity to 2,000m
  • OneArgo expansion adding biogeochemical, deep-ocean and polar floats
  • Near-real-time data delivery via satellite
  • Free access through Global Data Assembly Centers
  • Data distribution via the Global Telecommunication System
  • Core input for ocean reanalyses and climate research

Integrations

Profile last reviewed September 21, 2026

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