Oceanographic Tools: Argo

ARGO IIArgo II
Argo II, a towed imaging and mapping vehicle, carries video cameras, 35-mm and electronic still cameras, and several different acoustic sensors.

  

A great deal of oceanographic research depends upon instruments that are lowered into the water to perform various tasks. Towed sleds, like Argo II, allow researchers to cover a great deal of ground in lowerings that may last for several days.

For more information visit WHOI's Marine Operations
Argo II Page

Argo II carries video cameras, 35-mm and electronic still cameras, and several different acoustic sensors. It can be operated around the clock as deep as 20,000 feet, sending acoustic and video signals via fiber-optic cable to a shipboard control center, where five technicians fly the vehicle, record data, and monitor equipment. The resulting suite of data, which may include 100,000 still images and 200 gigabytes of information, requires many months of analysis following the cruise.