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New Deep-6000 Drones to Cover 98% of Oceans by 2028
Key points
- Ifremer's Deep-6000 prototypes completed 6,000-meter dives.
- France is now the third country with deep-sea Argo float capability.
- 30 new deep-sea floats will join the Argo fleet by 2028.
- The expanded fleet will cover over 98% of ocean volume.
Deep-Sea Drone Development
Ifremer, the French state ocean agency, announced the successful completion of five 6,000-meter dives by its two Deep-6000 prototypes between January 11 and February 2. These dives collected data from the abyssal zone, making France the third country, after China and the United States, to develop Argo floats capable of reaching these depths.
Expanding Ocean Coverage
The current Argo Program utilizes 4,000 data-collection floats, primarily descending to 2,000-4,000 meters. However, 10% of ocean warming occurs below these depths, creating a data gap. By 2028, 30 more deep-sea floats will be added to the international Argo fleet, allowing researchers to explore over 98% of the ocean's volume.
Technical Challenges of Deep-Sea Exploration
Exploring the deep ocean, which constitutes over 90% of the total ocean volume, presents significant technical challenges due to extreme pressure. At 6,000 meters, the pressure is approximately 600 times greater than at sea level. Designing systems to withstand this pressure, maintain self-sufficiency for seven years, and control costs was a primary challenge for Ifremer.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
Ifremer's Deep-6000 prototypes successfully completed 6,000-meter dives, enabling France to join China and the US in developing deep-sea Argo floats. This expansion will increase the international fleet of ocean-sensing drones to cover over 98% of the ocean's volume by 2028, addressing a critical data gap in deep ocean warming and exploration.