Attachment_1_-_Technical_Specifications_Profiling_Floats_final.pdf

Attachment 1 – Technical Specifications Profiling Floats

The contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, equipment, services, and facilities to provide a model of profiling floats as specified below:

Section A) Technical Specifications:

Deep Argo floats must:

• Be capable of profiling from the ocean surface to pressures of at least 6000 decibars (unit of pressure measurement) with one cycle nominally every 10 days;

• Be equipped with Conductivity-Temperature-Depth Instruments (CTD) capable of reporting at least at 500 distinct pressures spaced throughout each full-depth profile;

• Be capable of taking CTD samples from within 2 meters of the surface or closer to within 3 meters of the bottom or closer;

• Be capable of parking below the ocean surface at a programmable, set pressure for much of each cycle, with descent and ascent taking no more than 24-hours each for a 0-6000 decibar cycle;

• Be able to determine their position to within a few meters accuracy using Global Positioning System (GPS) with a backup lower quality Iridium position fix;

• Be able determine their positon and transmit their scientific, engineering, and other data for each profile via the Iridium system within a short (< 30 minutes) surface time;

• Have sufficient energy to perform at least 200 10-day cycles from 0-6000 decibars including CTD sampling and data transmission;

• Be capable of detecting and avoiding sea ice, and of storing at least 36 profiles for transmission when they next encounter ice-free conditions;

• Be capable of being reprogrammed remotely via Iridium communications with simple commands to reset their mission (e.g., sampling protocols, parking pressure, profiling pressure, cycle time, and so on);

• Be capable of testing their subsystems upon command and reporting their test results within a 2-hour or shorter window; and

• Be easily deployed from a research vessel by two people plus a crane operator;

• Package Requirements: The floats must be delivered well-packed in durable shipping crates that are legal to be shipped internationally (e.g. only properly treated wood, etc.).

Section B) Conductivity-Temperature-Depth Instruments Must:

• Measure and report temperature to an accuracy of ±0.002 °C, salinity to an accuracy of

±0.005 parts per trillion (ppt), and pressure to within an accuracy of ±6 decibars; and

• Be programmable in sampling pressures and mode of operation (continuous or spot sampling).

Attachment 1 – Technical Specifications Profiling Floats

Section C) More Favorable Technical Specifications:

Beyond meeting the above technical specifications, there are a number of criteria which would make the floats a better value for the government. Those follow, approximately in order of importance:

• Number of 10-day cycles from 0-6000 decibars including CTD sampling and data transmission which the float has the capability of making (more cycles is more desirable);

• Past field performance of the float (more cycles per float on average and more floats deployed in the ocean is more desirable);

• Sampling capability of the float (more and more accurate CTD samples getting closer to the surface and the bottom are more desirable);

• Size and weight of the float (lighter and smaller is more desirable); and

• Float packaging (more durable packaging is desirable).