Abstract：
The BGC-Argo mission broadens the scope of the OneArgo program by enabling global monitoring of key biogeochemical processes and their evolution in response to climate change. This is achieved through the measurement of six variables in the 0-2000 oceanic layer: oxygen, nitrate, pH, irradiance, chlorophyll-a and suspended particles.
Through several EU-funded projects, our group has progressively enhanced the capabilities of BGC-Argo floats that now provide more energy and support additional sensors. To date, over 20 of such floats have been deployed across various open-ocean regions. This presentation will highlight some initial results, focusing on: (1) the Underwater Vision Profiler (UVP), which quantifies particle size distribution; (2) a transmissometer,acting as an optical sediment trap; and (3) a dual hyperspectral sensor, measuring both downwelling irradiance and upwelling radiance within the ocean's illuminated layer. The potential of these enhanced BGC-Argo floats is clear, opening new pathways for better understanding and quantifying the biological carbon pump and its connection to subsurface ecosystem drivers.
These floats also hold the potential to integrate additional sensors, such as passive acoustic sensors (for monitoring marine mammals and meteorological conditions) and active acoustic sensors (for studying macroplankton and small fish). In the future, such multidisciplinary platforms could become crucial for supporting science-based governance of open-ocean regions, especially in relation to marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) strategies or the management of high seas marine protected areas.
Bio：
PhD of biological oceanography of Université Paris V, Co-Chairman of the Scientific Steering Group of the International Biogeochemical Argo (BGC-Argo) Program. Mainly engaged in biochemical observation technology, marine ecology and marine biogeochemistry, using ARGO profiling float and Glider platform, Over 200 scientific papers published in Science, Nature Geoscience, Nature Communications, Dr. Claustre has won the CNRS Silver Medal in 2005, and has been granted two senior project funding from the European Research Council (ERC), including the 3.5 million euros remOcean project in 2010, and the 3.3 million euro REFINE project in 2019. The remOcean project is the first global-scale BGC-Argo buoy observation and research project, promoting the establishment of the international BGC-Argo program.
