A British adventurer sailing single handed around the world—after first cycling and flying the earth’s circumference—has partnered with the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) to add ocean science to his latest one-man mission.
NOC ambassador James Ketchell will deploy a special ocean profiling instrument on his epic 30,000 nautical mile solo journey.
The Argo float is able to autonomously take critical measurements, such as temperature and salinity, down to 2,000 m water depth in the ocean.
Ketchell’s mission, which launched on Sunday, September 22, from Gosport, UK, on his Class 40 yacht, comes as the global fleet of Argo floats hit a milestone of 3 million profiles, amounting to billions of individual measurements.
This data provides NOC and scientists globally with a unique insight into what is happening beneath the sea surface, which can impact everything from global weather trends to the health of marine ecosystems.
Ketchell, 42, says, “It’s a real honor and privilege to be able to deploy an Argo float and represent NOC. The Argo Programme revolutionized how ocean data is gathered, helping to feed global weather forecasting models and how we understand the climate.
“My project is about inspiring young people, instilling in them that sense of purpose and having a goal. This is such a great example of that, and I look forward to sharing this story on my journey and tracking where the float I deploy on its adventure, long after I’ve completed mine.”
There are more than 3,600 Argo floats globally, forming the international collaborative Argo program, to which NOC contributes.
Dr. Ben Moat, a physical oceanographer at NOC, says, “James’ mission, inspiring young people and helping to raise awareness and gather data about our ocean is a great example of how we can all play a part.
“Argo floats gather essential real-time data that are critical to improving our understanding of the ocean’s role in the Earth’s climate and to make improved estimates of how it will change in the future.”
Ketchell’s voyage is split into legs, stopping in Lanzarote, Cape Town, Melbourne, Punta Del Este in Uruguay, Antigua and New York, before arriving back at Gosport, UK.
Ketchell will deploy his Argo float, measuring around 1.5 m-long, after a stop in Cape Town. Once deployed, it will be able to be tracked, alongside the rest of the Argo float fleet, with its data freely and publicly available to download.
On his journey, Ketchell will also be supporting education around the ocean, through live streaming and visits to schools in the ports he visits.
Follow the Journey
Find out more about James’ journey and follow his progress on his website here.
Follow the journey of the Argo floats on the Euro-Argo fleet monitoring dashboard here.
