Monitoring our oceans and climate by satellite

In partnership with science, the Argos System has provided satellite-based data collection and location for every major ocean monitoring initiative since 1978, and will likely be the system of choice for future ocean observing systems, certainly for those now emerging. After successful efforts in support of many oceanographic and meteorological programs, Argos continues to make fundamental changes to meet the evolving needs of the global community. These changes include increasing data transmission capacity (Argos-2 instruments flying today on the NOAA-15 and NOAA-16 satellites), adding a two-way communications capability (ADEOS-2 satellite in cooperation with NASDA), and fully customized access to data and results. In the short-term, the Argos-3 instrument, featuring still greater capabilities, is designated for satellites such as the European METOP series and the converged U.S. National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). This paper outlines specific new Argos capabilities that are evolving cooperatively with the ocean community and how they may be applied to improve the collection of real-time ocean observations.