STEPS Engineers Week takes place from next Saturday, March 5, and Galway Atlantaquaria and the Marine Institute will be supporting the event with a weekend of fun, facts, and competitions at Galway Atlantaquaria in Salthill on Saturday and Sunday.
Galway Atlantaquaria will have an Argo float from the Marine Institute on display over the weekend. 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 they travel 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.
Visitors to Galway Atlantaquaria 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.
"Engineers Week is a particular favourite of mine and it is always so encouraging to see the enthusiasm and interest of the next generation of marine engineers and scientists," said Alan Berry, section manager of marine research infrastructures at the Marine Institute. "The Marine Institute through Argo Ireland is a member of the Euro-Argo Programme, and this will be a great opportunity to highlight the significance of marine engineering in providing highly specialised technology that allows us to collect and share vital data from the world's ocean which would otherwise be next to impossible."
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.
"I have followed the floats for a long time, and these devices are an amazing example of engineering to help us monitor the ocean," said Garry Kendellen of Galway Atlantaquaria. "The climate crisis is of great danger to our own health and these devices give us valuable information on changes in ocean circulation."
Go along and talk with scientists from Galway Atlantaquaria and the Marine Institute and discover why marine engineering is so important. There will be plenty to see and do with puzzles, fun, and competitions to be won.
Engineers Week brings the fascinating world of engineering to life in communities nationwide, inspiring children to engineer the Ireland of tomorrow. To meet the talent demands of Project Ireland 2040 ambitions the country needs skilled engineers, and as a result young people are being urged to consider a career in engineering.
Book early on the Galway Atlantaquaria website at www.nationalaquarium.ie
