Benefits

The benefits from building a European infrastructure for Argo are multiple:
 

  • Stronger European coordination of float deployments ensures that certain areas are not overpopulated at the expense of other regions of the global array. This is critical to Argo and important for the credibility of Europe. The coordination of Argo activities within Europe also enables to better support the implementation of the EU Marine Policy, e.g. through the extension toward biogeochemical measurements.
  • The Euro-Argo ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium) delivers a stronger and more coherent European contribution to float technology development, with particular emphasis on European needs (e.g. sampling under ice, biogeochemical sensors) leading to improved capability, performance and lifetime. The Infrastructure also provides greater efficiency in float procurement, as well as a central capability for float testing, preparation and storage that benefits to all members and in particular to smaller contributors. The Euro-Argo ERIC facilitates the involvement of new countries into Argo.
  • Through consolidated European funding contribution to the international Argo Information Centre (AIC) and Argo Programme Office, Euro-Argo helps ensuring the continued operation of these bodies that are critical to the international programme. Euro-Argo also provides a concerted European voice into the international Argo programme, resulting in a stronger European influence on how Argo develops in the future.
  • Euro-Argo provides the means to sustain important outreach activities (web-site, brochures, educational materials etc.) needed to explain to schoolchildren and the general public the importance of observations from the oceans towards dealing with climate change study and other environmental issues.
  • Through Euro-Argo it will be possible to sustain and develop the European Argo users’ community, in order to ensure that users’ needs are articulated and that the best scientific and technical advice continues to feed into Euro-Argo.