Attachment 1 - (Draft) Statement of Need Argo Floats REQUIREMENTS-25-3115.pdf

STATEMENT OF NEED

Deep Argo, Core Argo, and Biogeochemical Argo Floats

REQUIREMENTS-25-3115

PURPOSE:

To purchase approximately 1-31 Deep Argo floats, 1-50 Core Argo floats, and 1-34 Biogeochemical Argo floats per year over five (5) years to meet NOAA goals of ocean monitoring, observing, and prediction.

SCOPE OR MISSION:

This purchase is required to determine the mean state of temperature and salinity in the full-depth ocean and their variations from monthly to secular time-scales.

BACKGROUND:

Argo, an array of ~4,000 robotic profiling floats that measure and report back profiles of ocean temperature, salinity (for the Core mission) as well as various other biological and chemical ocean properties (for the Biogeochemical mission) to 2000 m (and to 6000 m for the Deep mission) is the crown jewel in NOAA’s global ocean observing system. The data are used by a wide variety of customers, including weather forecast offices, military, shipping interests, fisheries interests, scientists, and others. PMEL, along with other groups, deploys Argo floats every year to improve and maintain this array. We, along with other groups, purchase these floats from various commercial vendors, test them, deploy them, and make their data publicly available in near-real time.

NOAA’s current goal is to transition the U.S. Deep and Biogeochemical Argo pilot arrays, which have largely grown out of non-NOAA funding, into sustained, global components of the Argo array.

The U.S. is one of ~30 countries working toward the OneArgo vision, which is a global array 1250 Deep floats, 1000 Biogeochemical floats and 2450 Core floats (4700 floats total). The purchases described herein reflect PMEL’s contribution to implementing the U.S. component of OneArgo.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

Please see Exhibit 1 - Technical Specifications, Argo Floats, for technical specifications and evaluation criteria.

DELIVERY SCHEDULE:

FOB Destination. The floats must be delivered by the vendor to NOAA/PMEL in Seattle no more than 12 months after receipt of order.

NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory 7600 Sand Point Way Bldg. 8 Seattle WA 98115

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

The floats must be delivered in durable packaging that is legal to be shipped internationally (e.g. only properly treated wood, etc).

DRAFT

https://globalocean.noaa.gov/celebrating-25-years-of-argo-the-crown-jewel-of-ocean-observing-systems/

REQUIREMENTS-25-3115

Exhibit 1 Technical Specifications

Argo Floats

Technical Specifications for Core, Biogeochemical, and Deep Argo Floats:

Core, Biogeochemical, and Deep Argo floats (hereafter floats) should 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-to-mission-pressure profile cycle.

All sensor sampling pressures, and mode of operation (continuous or spot sampling, if applicable), must be programmable or specifiable.

The floats must be able to determine their position with an accuracy of a few meters using GPS, with a backup lower-quality Iridium position fix.

The floats must be able to determine their position and transmit their scientific, engineering, and other data for each profile via the Iridium system within a short (< 30 minutes) surface time.

The floats must 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).

The floats must be capable of detecting and avoiding sea ice, and of storing at least 36 profiles for transmission when they next encounter ice-free conditions.

The floats must be capable of testing their subsystems upon command (i.e., performing built-in self tests) and reporting their test results within a 2-hour or shorter window.

The floats must be delivered well-packed in durable shipping crates that (1) will protect floats through shipping and storage on research vessels, (2)can be legally shipped internationally, and

(3) are air shippable with major air carriers.

Floats must include certification that they meet IATA requirements for air shipping eligibility.

Float packaging must be compatible with forklifts/pallet jacks.

The floats must be easily deployed from a research vessel by one or two people plus a crane operator.

All specialty equipment necessary for preparing the floats for deployment must be provided, along with any required instructions or training in the use of such equipment. Calibration documents for sensors integrated onto the float must also be provided.

The floats must be delivered (FOB Destination) by the vendor, within 12 months of receipt of order, to NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way Building 8, Seattle WA 98115.

Additional Technical Specifications for Core Argo Floats:

Core Argo floats must be capable of profiling from the ocean surface to pressures of at least 2000 dbar with one cycle nominally every 10 days.

The floats must be equipped with conductivity-temperature-depth sensors (hereafter CTDs) capable of measuring continuously from 2000 dbar to within 4 (and preferably 1) dbar of the surface and then reporting pressure averaged temperature and salinity values at 2 dbar pressure intervals. The ability to spot sample at specifiable or programmable pressures should also be available. The floats must have sufficient energy to perform at least 200 (more is better) 10-day cycles from 0-2000 dbar including continuous CTD sampling and data transmission.

The CTD must measure and report temperature to an accuracy of ±0.002 °C, salinity to an accuracy of ±0.01 ppt, and pressure to within an accuracy of ±2.5 dbar.

Floats should weigh 26 kg or less (lighter is better).

The floats must be easily deployed from a research vessel by one or two people.

The vendor should submit evidence that the floats can meet (and have met, including performance in the ocean) these requirements. Details on the float energy storage (MJ in float batteries) and the energy budget (KJ per 0-2000 dbar cycle including CTD operation and data transmission) should be provided.

Additional Technical Specifications for Biogeochemical Argo Floats:

Biogeochemical Argo floats must be capable of profiling from the ocean surface to pressures of at least 2000 dbar with one cycle nominally every 10 days.

The floats must be equipped with pH, oxygen, nitrate, optical backscatter, chlorophyll fluorescence, and downwelling irradiance sensors capable of reporting at least at 80 distinct pressures spaced throughout each full-depth profile and a CTD capable of continuous sampling.

The floats must have sufficient energy to perform at least 200 10-day cycles from 0-2000 dbar including CTD, pH, oxygen, nitrate, and bio-optical sensor sampling and data transmission.

The CTD must measure and report temperature to an accuracy of ±0.002 °C, salinity to an accuracy of ±0.01 ppt, and pressure to within an accuracy of ±2.5 dbar.

The pH, oxygen, and nitrate sensors must measure and report pH to an accuracy of ±0.05, oxygen to an accuracy of ±3 μmol kg-1 or ±2% saturation, and nitrate to within an accuracy of ±3 μmol kg-1 or ±10%. The oxygen sensor must be capable of, and positioned on the float to enable, routine in-air measurements when the float is at the sea surface.

The vendor should submit evidence that the floats can meet (and have met, including performance in the ocean) these requirements. Details on the float energy storage (MJ in float batteries) and the energy budget (KJ per 0-2000 dbar cycle including operation of all sensors and data transmission) should be provided.

Additional Technical Specifications for Deep Argo Floats:

Deep Argo floats must be capable of profiling from the ocean surface to pressures of at least 6000 dbar with one cycle nominally every 10 days.

The floats must be equipped with CTDs capable of reporting at least at 500 distinct pressures spaced throughout each full-depth profile as well as continuous sampling in at least the upper 1000 dbar.

The floats must be capable of taking CTD samples from within 2 m of the surface (or closer) and 3 m of the bottom (or closer).

The floats must have sufficient energy to perform at least 200 10-day cycles from 0-6000 dbar including CTD sampling and data transmission.

The CTD must measure and report temperature to an accuracy of ±0.002 °C, salinity to an accuracy of ±0.005 ppt, and pressure to within an accuracy of ±6 dbar.

The floats should be able to sample on both ascent and descent.

The vendor should submit evidence that the floats can meet (and have met, including performance in the ocean) these requirements. Details on the float energy storage (MJ in float batteries) and the energy budget (KJ per 0-6000 dbar cycle including CTD operation and data transmission) should be provided.

Evaluation Criteria:

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

1. Number of 10-day cycles from 0-6000 dbar for Deep floats and from 0-2000 dbar for Core and Biogeochemical floats, including sensor sampling and data transmission, that the float is capable of making (more cycles is more desirable).

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

3. Sampling capability of the float (more frequent and more accurate CTD samples when approaching the ocean surface and bottom are more desirable). For example, the ability to bin average at 1 dbar intervals between 10 and 1 dbar is desirable, as is the ability to report full resolution (e.g., 1 Hz) data for a portion of the profile (e.g., a programmable 100-dbar segment).

4. Size and weight of the float (lighter and smaller is more desirable).

5. Float packaging, where more durable and lighter packaging is preferred as well as compatibility with moving and stowing packaging on board research ships where good hand holds, flexibility for fitting into confined spaces, and collapsibility are very desirable.

6. Compliance with express shipping service (such as FedEx Express) dimensional restrictions is desirable.

7. It is desirable that the floats record the CTD current draw while the CTD is running.

8. It is desirable that the floats record and transmit humidity data, including additional humidity values for any components not incorporated within the main hull.

9. Floats capable of polling all sensors and returning associated serial numbers and calibration coefficients upon command is desirable.

10. Complexity of deployment (simpler is more desirable).

11. Availability and demonstrated simplicity of use of float hardware, data processing software

(e.g., decoders), and documentation (i.e., user guide) will be considered. Calibration documents provided in PDF and machine-readable formats (e.g., json) are very desirable.

12. Evidence of equipment repair and technical support timeliness (shorter times between notification of an issue and its resolution is better).

13. Float warranty or performance guarantees are desirable.

14. Ability for, or flexibility of, float sampling during the drift/trajectory phase of the mission.

15. Ability of floats to run self-diagnostic tests upon command while deployed in the field and send that data back to shore.

16. Ability of floats to automatically exit “beacon mode” based on pressure.