NKE Instrumentation (France)

Abstract. Wind forcing plays a pivotal role in driving upper-ocean physical and biogeochemical processes, yet direct wind observations remain sparse in many regions of the global ocean. While passive acoustic techniques have been used to estimate wind speed from moored and mobile platforms, their application to profiling floats has been demonstrated only in limited cases and remains largely unexplored. Here, we report on the first deployment of a profiling float equipped with a passive acoustic sensor, aimed at detecting wind-driven surface signals from depth. The float was deployed in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea near the DYFAMED meteorological buoy from February to April 2025, operating at parking depths of 500–1000 m. We demonstrate that wind speed can be successfully retrieved from subsurface ambient noise using established acoustic algorithms, with float-derived estimates showing good agreement with collocated surface observations from the DYFAMED buoy. To evaluate the potential for broader application, we simulate a remote deployment scenario by refitting the acoustic model of Nystuen et al. (2015) using ERA5 reanalysis as a proxy for surface wind. Refitting the model to ERA5 data demonstrates that the float–acoustic–wind relationship is generalizable in moderate conditions, but high-wind regimes remain systematically biased—especially above 10 m s-1. Finally, we apply a residual learning framework to correct these estimates using a limited subset of DYFAMED wind data, simulating conditions where only brief surface observations—such as those from a ship during float deployment—are available. The corrected wind time series achieved a 37 % reduction in RMSE and improved the coefficient of determination (R2) from 0.85 to 0.91, demonstrating the effectiveness of combining reanalysis with sparse in-situ fitting. This framework enables the retrieval of fine-scale wind variability not captured by reanalysis alone, supporting a scalable strategy for float-based wind monitoring in data-sparse ocean regions—with important implications for quantifying air–sea exchanges, improving biogeochemical flux estimates, and advancing global climate observations.

The international array of profiling floats known as Argo is a major component of the global ocean-and climate-observing system. In 2010, the NAOS (Novel Argo Observing System) project was selected as part of France's Equipex Investissement d'Avenir program. The objectives of NAOS were to consolidate the French contribution to the Argo core mission (global temperature and salinity measurements down to 2,000 m) as well as to develop the future generation of French Argo profiling floats and prepare the next phase of the Argo program with an extension to the deep ocean (Deep-Argo), biogeochemistry (BGC-Argo) and polar seas. This paper summarizes the main technological advances and at-sea validations carried out as part of NAOS: development of a deep (4,000 m) float, a new BGC float for Research & Development (R&D) applications, and a BGC float for deployments in Arctic areas, assessment of a new density and Absolute Salinity optical sensor, improvement of the reliability of the standard Argo float, and upgraded satellite-transmission performance. French profiling floats developed in this way are now operational and among the most deployed worldwide, and the density sensor is the most promising of its kind for profiling floats applications.

The aim of this work is to demonstrate the suitability of the commercial benchtop micro X-ray fluorescence system M4 Tornado, to evaluate the differences in lead distribution in different bone and tooth structures due to ante-mortem contamination.

\n\t\tLa salinité est un paramètre clé pour déterminer les propriétés physiques de l’eau de mer. Sa connaissance permet\nnotamment d’étudier la circulation des grands courants marins. Les transports de chaleur et de masse qui leur sont\nassociés sont régis principalement par leurs variations de salinité ou de masse volumique, les deux paramètres\nétant liés. L’importance que revêt de nos jours l’étude des variations climatiques et des variations de salinité liées\npar exemple à la fonte de la calotte glacière ainsi que les biais constatés sur les mesures de salinité, ont conduit\nles océanographes à s’intéresser au développement de nouveaux capteurs fiables, précis et utilisables in situ, pour\nsurveiller l’évolution des phénomènes océaniques.\n

Abstract The information on actual corrosivity of the environment is crucial for efficient corrosion protection since it enables operators to take immediate counter measures against accelerating corrosion, decreasing thereby the corrosion costs. Atmospheric corrosion sensors have been developed to provide continuous measurement of the corrosion rate of steel, zinc, copper, and nickel in air. The measurement method is based on the increasing electrical resistance of a measuring element made of the material concerned as its cross sectional area diminishes due to corrosion. Data on the sensor corrosion rate are available any time without the need to retract the logger from the exposure site. They can be downloaded through the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) connection or by means of a non-contact inductive reading. The electronic logger has dimensions of 100×65×37 mm and the weight is about 180 grams. Therefore, the logger can be placed virtually anywhere. The lifetime of the monitoring system in medium-corrosive environments is designed to be 2 years with full autonomy. Metal sensors are available at several thicknesses of metal tracks according to the anticipated level of air corrosivity and required sensitivity of measurement. Sensitivity of the corrosion measurement varies from 1 to 10 nm depending on the type and thickness of the sensor. Changes in the air corrosivity can be usually detected within several hours or even tens of minutes.

In current clinical practice, plasma and blood glucose are used interchangeably with a consequent risk of clinical misinterpretation. In human blood, glucose is distributed, like water, between erythrocytes and plasma. The molality of glucose (amount of glucose per unit water mass) is the same throughout the sample, but the concentration is higher in plasma, because the concentration of water and therefore glucose is higher in plasma than in erythrocytes. Different devices for the measurement of glucose may detect and report fundamentally different quantities. Different water concentrations in the calibrator, plasma, and erythrocyte fluid can explain some of the differences. Results for glucose measurements depend on the sample type and on whether the method requires sample dilution or uses biosensors in undiluted samples. If the results are mixed up or used indiscriminately, the differences may exceed the maximum allowable error for glucose determinations for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes mellitus, thus complicating patient treatment. The goal of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Scientific Division, Working Group on Selective Electrodes and Point of Care Testing (IFCC-SD-WG-SEPOCT) is to reach a global consensus on reporting results. The document recommends reporting the concentration of glucose in plasma (in the unit mmol/L), irrespective of sample type or measurement technique. A constant factor of 1.11 is used to convert concentration in whole blood to the equivalent concentration in plasma. The conversion will provide harmonized results, facilitating the classification and care of patients and leading to fewer therapeutic misjudgments.