Autonomous underwater vehicles could cover up to 98% of the world's oceans by 2028, allowing scientists to close critical gaps in data on ocean warming, Engadget reports, according to infohub.kz.
The international Argo program, launched in 1999, is preparing a major expansion of its network of autonomous drones. Today, about 4,000 research floats dive to depths of up to 4,000 meters. However, roughly 10% of ocean warming occurs even deeper. Due to colossal pressure, the abyssal zone below 2,000 meters remains one of the least explored areas on the planet.
France's state oceanographic agency Ifremer has successfully tested two prototypes of the Deep-6000, which descended to 6,000 meters. France became the third country after the United States and China to create drones for such extreme depths. The 40-kilogram hulls are made of composite materials, and pressure at such depths is 600 times greater than atmospheric. By 2028, 30 more such deep-sea floats will join the international fleet.
Each drone mission follows a ten-day cycle. The device descends to its operating depth, measures temperature, salinity, oxygen levels, and pressure, then surfaces to transmit data to a satellite. All collected information is made publicly available. The new devices will help improve forecasts of sea levels, monsoons, climate change, and ocean currents.