The Argo profiling float project will enable, for the first time, continuous global observations of the temperature, salinity, and velocity of the upper ocean in near‐real time.This new capability will improve our understanding of the ocean's role in climate, as well as spawn an enormous range of valuable ocean applications. Because over 90% of the observed increase in heat content of the air/land/sea climate system over the past 50 years occurred in the ocean [Leuitus et al., 2001], Argo will effectively monitor the pulse of the global heat balance.The end of 2003 was marked by two significant events for Argo. In mid‐November 2003, over 200 scientists from 22 countries met at Argo's first science workshop to discuss early results from the floats. Two weeks later, Argo had 1000 profiling floats—one‐third of the target total—delivering data. As of 7 May that total was 1171.

The newly formed bottom water in the Japan Sea was observed in the summer of 2001 after the severe winter 2000–2001. The new bottom water, which was observed in the northwestern Japan Sea, showed low temperature, high salinity, high dissolved oxygen and low nutrients concentration compared to the old bottom water. The distribution of the new bottom water indicates that the bottom water was formed in the south off Vladivostok, not in the northern Japan Sea north of 43°N, and was advected to the observation area. It is suggested that the formation event occurred in the late January‐early February 2001, because strong flows of faster than 8 cms−1 appeared abruptly from mid‐February 2001. This formation event may contribute not only the relaxation of the oxygen‐decreasing trend in the bottom layer but also the spin‐up of the thermohaline circulation in the Japan Sea.

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