The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene a two-day workshop in Irvine, California, to explore options for the future of the Biogeochemical (BGC) Argo program. Experts from federal agencies, academia, ocean technology, non-profit organizations, and industry will convene to discuss the following questions:

· Scientific Value

• What scientific progress has the BGC Argo program enabled over the past decade?
• Are the original science questions still relevant, and what new questions should guide the future program?

· Operational and Technical Challenges

• What will be needed to sustain BGC Argo in the long term, beyond the 10-year NSF award (e.g., ship time, instrument/sensor cost, operational logistics, support personnel)?
• How could the BGC Argo design be simplified or changed to allow for easier deployment (e.g., eliminate the need for on-site calibration)?
• How could costs be reduced and what trade-offs should be considered? For example:

· How would changes to float numbers or sensor packages affect program output?

· What are the tradeoffs in time-space coverage that can compensate for quality of individual measurements?

· Are there opportunities to reduce costs along the supply chain (e.g., reduction of shipping costs, simplification of manufacturing, reduction in instrumentation size, and streamline of supply chain)?

· Pathways to Sustainability

• What are the opportunities for and challenges to transforming BGC Argo into a long-term facility?
• Who are existing or emerging key players or partners, including those that would provide financial support?
• What are the opportunities to increase scientific value through expanded user base and applications (e.g., development of sensors resilient to biofouling in the surface waters)?
• What steps are most critical for the program’s future?