Abstract. Autonomous and expendable profiling-float arrays such as those deployed in the Argo Program require the transmission of reliable data from remote sites. However, existing satellite data transfer rates preclude complete transmission of rapidly sampled turbulence measurements. It is therefore necessary to reduce turbulence data on board. Here we propose a scheme for onboard data reduction and test it with existing turbulence data obtained with a modified SOLO-II profiling float. First, voltage spectra are …