BGC Argo is a global network of profiling floats that measure physical parameters such as temperature and salinity as well as biogeochemcial (or BGC) properties such as oxygen, nitrate, pH, and chlorophyll in the ocean's interior. Over the past decade these measurements have been instrumental in validating and improving climate models, enhancing predictions of the carbon cycle, and supporting marine resource management. Current funding for the program expired October 31, 2025.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene a two-day workshop in Irvine, California, to explore options for the future of the Biogeochemical (BGC) Argo program. Experts from federal agencies, academia, ocean technology, non-profit organizations, and industry will convene to discuss the following questions:

Scientific Value

• What scientific progress has the BGC Argo program enabled over the past decade?
• Are the original science questions still relevant, and what new questions should guide the future program?

Operational and Technical Challenges

• What will be needed to sustain BGC Argo in the long term, beyond the 10-year NSF award (e.g., ship time, instrument/sensor cost, operational logistics, support personnel)?
• How could the BGC Argo design be simplified or changed to allow for easier deployment (e.g., eliminate the need for on-site calibration)?
• How could costs be reduced and what trade-offs should be considered?
  For example:
  • How would changes to float numbers or sensor packages affect program output?
  • What are the tradeoffs in time-space coverage that can compensate for quality of individual measurements?
  • Are there opportunities to reduce costs along the supply chain (e.g., reduction of shipping costs, simplification of manufacturing, reduction in instrumentation size, and streamline of supply chain)?
• Could AI/ML or other emerging technologies compensate for reduced investment in BGC Argo floats?

Pathways to Sustainability

• What are the opportunities for and challenges to transforming BGC Argo into a long-term facility?
• Who are existing or emerging key players or partners, including those that would provide financial support?
• What are the opportunities to increase scientific value through expanded user base and applications (e.g., development of sensors resilient to biofouling in the surface waters)?
• What steps are most critical for the program’s future?