Our network was implemented in the early eighties and progressively extended. It is currenly working owing to the kind co-operation of Officers and crews of five selected vessels. This number varied through times and may have been larger at given periods. Most of the vessels send their observations in real time using the ARGOS transmission system. Data are put over the GTS by Meteo France in Toulouse.
The XBT (Expendable Bathythermograph) probes
are manufactured by Sippican and are of T7 type. The acquisition
system (software and interface) was developed in collaboration
with CLS/ARGOS and the local manufacturer PROTECNO.
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Alain Dessier dessier@ird.fr takes the scientific responsibility of the network from the ORSTOM Centre in Brest; operational responsibitity is incumbent on Denis Diverrès diverres@ird.fr, assisted by Stéphane Jacquin, stephane.JACQUIN@wanadoo.fr, in Le Havre in collaboration with the Station of Météo-France. |
Probes are kindly provided by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA) ; ARGOS transmission costs are supported by IFREMER.
Temperature profiles pass through quality control procedures using a graphical editing software developed at the Centre ORSTOM de Brest. They are forwarded on a periodic basis to the TOGA/WOCE subsurface data Centre in Brest, from where they can be directly accessed and retrieved upon request.
On 22 May 2003 the stock of probes available in our warehouse was : 650 XBT probes
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