The New Generation

SOLO floats being assembled in a Scripps lab. SOLOs, used by Scripps scientists in the ARGO program, were invented at Scripps.

Scripps scientists, along with colleagues in the United States and 22 other countries, are taking part in a major program called Argo that will deploy 3,000 drifters (SOLO floats) into the world ocean possibly by the end of this year. These instruments can collect and store many kinds of data, and then transmit them to satellites on a regular schedule. They also are capable of automatically descending to a depth of 6,560 feet (2,000 meters), drifting for ten days, and then returning to the surface while recording temperature, salinity, and other data about water conditions on the way up. Scientists hope that this fleet of drifters will be able to produce a new, real-time picture of the world ocean every ten days.