Real Time Data use in operational centers

Argo is now the most abundant source of subsurface information, (temperature, salinity, velocity) for the global ocean. The availability of these data in real time lends them to use by operational centers involved in the analysis and forecasting of the state of the ocean and of climate.

The following table summarises the uses that are presently being made of Argo data by these centers.

Country	Center	Project	Type	Region	T and S?
Australia	CSIRO/RAN/BoM	Bluelink	Ocean forecast	Australian waters	T + S
Australia	BoM/CSIRO	POAMA	Climate analysis and forecast	Global, but focus on tropics	T
France	Mercator Ocean	Mercator	Ocean analysis + forecast	N + Trop Atlantic, Med Sea, Global	T + S assimin in N Atl forecasts and Global analysis. Validation in Med
EU(Italy)	INGV	MFSTEP	Ocean analysis + forecast	Mediterranean	T only. MedArgo used to check forecasts
EU(Norway)	NERSC	Diadem/Topaz	Ocean analysis + forecast (+ ecosystem)	Atlantic/Nordic/ Arctic	T+S used to check forecasts
EU(UK)	ECMWF	Seasonal Forecasting System	Seasonal ocean analysis ENSO forecasts	Global 30N-30S	T only?
Japan	JMA	COMPASS-K	Ocean analysis (currents Subsurface temperatures)	NW Pacific	T + S
Japan	JMA	ODAS	Ocean analysis + ENSO forecasts	Global but focus on Eq Pacific	T + S
UK	Met Office	GloSea	Seasonal climate forecasts	Global	T + S
UK	Met Office	FOAM	Ocean forecasting	Atlantic, Indian, Mediterranean	T + S
USA	NRL Stennis	NLOM/MODAS	Ocean forecast	Global	Neither. Argo used to check forecasts
USA	FNMOC Monterey	COAMPS	Ocean forecast	Global	T only
USA	NCEP	GODAS	Ocean forecast	Global	T only
USA	NASA	NSIPP	Seasonal/Interannual climate	Global	T only

Not all of these sytems yet make full use of Argo's temperature and salinity profiles for assimilation into analysis and prediction models. However the operational usres of Argo data cite the datas abundance, its uniform spatial distribution, greater depth penetration (than XBTs), data quality and the availability of salinity information as being beneficial.