Celebrate Engineers Week With Galway Atlantaquaria and the Marine Institute

28th February 2022

An Argo float deployed as part of the Marine Institute’s annual ocean climate survey Credit: Tomas Szumski/Marine Institute

This weekend, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 March, Galway Atlantaquaria and the Marine Institute support STEPS Engineers Week with a weekend of fun, facts and competitions at the national aquarium in Salthill.

The weekend will be dedicated to the Argo float and showcase the importance of marine science and engineering.

Argo floats are robotic instruments that drift with the ocean currents and are engineered to move up and down between the surface and a mid-water level collecting data as it travels the ocean.

Each float is programmed to rise to the surface every 10 days to transmit its data via satellite so scientists can monitor the ocean temperature and circulation. At the surface, the Argo float can also receive new mission instructions when it connects to the satellite.

There are currently close to 4,000 floats in the Argo Programme collecting and transmitting data from areas of the global ocean that would otherwise be impossible to reach.

Galway Atlantaquaria will have an Argo float from the Marine Institute on display over the weekend. Visitors can view this marine robot up close and can take a look inside at the inner workings and electronics that drive it on its mission.

Each day, there will be videos showing how the Argo floats are deployed at sea and how they work. Visitors can view the full global fleet online and see the data they transmit back via satellite.

Argo floats distribute real-time information on temperature and salinity down to a depth of 2,000 metres below the ocean’s surface. Measuring the temperature and salinity of the ocean is crucial in better understanding climate change and the role of our oceans on our climate.

Garry Kendellen of Galway Atlantaquaria said: “I have followed the floats for a long time, and these devices are an amazing example of engineering to help us monitor the ocean. The climate crisis is of great danger to our own health and these devices give us valuable information on changes in ocean circulation.”

All are invited to attend and talk with scientists from Galway Atlantaquaria and the Marine Institute to discover why marine engineering is so important. There will be plenty to see and do with puzzles, fun and competitions to be won.

But be sure to book early to avoid disappointment on the Galway Atlantaquaria website at www.nationalaquarium.ie.

Engineers Week brings the fascinating world of engineering to life in communities nationwide, inspiring children to engineer the Ireland of tomorrow.

Published in Marine Science

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