Hydrographic Institute launches Argo float in Portimão to observe the ocean

On March 5th, the first Argo float was launched in Portimão by the Hydrographic Institute aboard the Navy ship NRP D Carlos I.

This float will contribute to the International Argo Program and will integrate the network of over 3000 floats that autonomously observe the global ocean.

The float launched by the Hydrographic Institute, identified with the WMO code 6990579, is equipped with sensors that measure temperature, salinity, and pressure to depths of 2000 meters. The collected data are freely accessible and can be viewed here: https://fleetmonitoring.euro-argo.eu/float/6990579

This launch was carried out under the Memorandum of Understanding between the IH and the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany (BSH), which aims to cooperate between the two institutions in launching Argo floats in areas of interest in Portuguese waters. In particular, this float was launched in an oceanographically relevant area - the Portimão Canyon - a region of interest for the study of the Mediterranean Current and its potential role in the formation of Mediterranean water eddies, known as Meddies.

With this initiative, the Hydrographic Institute is contributing to global efforts to observe and monitor the ocean, to better understand and protect it.