A dataset of global ocean surface currents for 1999-2007 derived from Argo float trajectories: Comparison with surface drifter and TAO measurements

A dataset of surface current vectors with error estimate from 1999 to 2007 is derived from the Argo float surface trajectories over the global ocean. The errors of the estimated surface currents are about 4.7 cm s-1 which is equivalent to the accuracy of the currents from the surface drifters. Geographically the Argo-derived surface currents can fill many gaps left by the Global Drifter Program due to the larger number of floats and provide a complementary in situ observational system to monitoring global ocean surface currents. The surface currents from the Argo floats are compared with the surface drifter-derived currents and the TAO measurements. The comparisons show good agreement both on the current amplitude and on the direction of surface currents. Results indicate the feasibility to obtain ocean surface currents from the Argo array and to combine the surface currents from Argo and the ocean surface drifters for in situ mapping of the global surface currents. We also made the dataset available to users of interest for many types of applications.