NAOS

NAOS : Novel Argo Ocean observing System

Project leaders at LOV :
Fabrizio D'Ortenzio
Coordinator : Pierre-Yves le Traon (Ifremer Brest)

In order to better forecast effects of climate change, and to address within this context the possible consequences on Ocean functioning, it is necessary to continuously guarantee a global view relying on high-quality data acquisition on oceanic properties.

As a French initiative, the NAOS project contributes significantly to an international network called Argo. The latter maintains a fleet of profiling floats, basically equipped with physical sensors (temperature and salinity) that provide measurements of the Ocean interior (until ca. 2000 meters depth). Besides the contribution to Argo, NAOS will prepare the future. New floats with extended capabilities (e.g. deeper profiling, under-ice observations) will be developed. Furthermore, the ongoing developments at the OAO/LOV with respect to biological and biogeochemical floats will be strongly reinforced. As part of NAOS, OAO/LOV will focus on two key areas: the Arctic Ocean (collaboration with the Canada Excellence Research Chair, CERC, in Remote Sensing of Canada’s New Arctic Frontier, UMI Takuvik) and the Mediterranean Sea.

NAOS takes part in the program “Investissements d’avenir”, i.e. the French governmental call “Equipements d’Excellence (EQUIPEX) 2010”, operated by the National Research Agency (ANR).