Software to Enable Ocean Discoveries: A Case Study With ICESat-2 and Argo

Abstract

Increased anthropogenic stressors (e.g., warming, acidification, wildfires, and other extreme events) present complex observational challenges for Earth science, and no one sensor can “do it all”. While many remote sensing technologies are available at present, scientific disciplines are often trained to use only a specific subset, greatly limiting scientific advancements. Here we present open-source software (icepyx) that lowers the barrier for entry for two remote platforms offering vertically-resolved information about the ocean's subsurface: ICESat-2 (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2) and Argo floats. icepyx provides object-oriented code for querying and downloading ICESat-2 and Argo data within a single analysis workflow. icepyx natively handles ICESat-2 data access and read-in; here we introduce the Query, Unify, Explore SpatioTemporal (QUEST) module as a framework for adapting icepyx to easily access and ingest other datasets and present Argo data as the initial use case. Seamless retrieval of coincident data from ICESat-2 and Argo enables improved targeted and exploratory studies across the cryosphere and open ocean realms. We close with recommendations for future work, discussion of the value of open science, relevance of our work to upcoming satellite missions, and an invitation to join our programming community. Link to repository: https://github.com/icesat2py/icepyx/tree/main. Link to documentation: https://icepyx.readthedocs.io/en/latest/.