Aquarius Official Release Level 3 data provides monthly, gridded maps of sea surface salinity (SSS) at a 1-degree spatial resolution. The dataset is produced from measurements taken by the Aquarius/SAC-D satellite, a joint mission between NASA and Argentina's CONAE. This specific version 5.0 product was last updated in June 2015.
Use Cases
- Analyzing global sea surface salinity trends over time using the monthly averaged data.
- Studying ocean circulation and freshwater flux by mapping salinity gradients from the gridded product.
- Validating ocean models by comparing simulated salinity against the satellite-derived SSS maps.
- Investigating the impact of rainfall on surface salinity using the rain-flagged data feature.
Strengths
- Data is gridded at a consistent 1-degree spatial resolution for global analysis.
- Product incorporates measurements from three separate radiometer beams and a scatterometer for surface roughness correction.
- Provides data averaged over monthly time scales for climate trend analysis.
Limitations
- Data recency is limited, with the last update noted in 2015, potentially missing recent climatic events.
- Specific sample size (row count) and data volume are unknown from the provided information.
- The product uses only Ascending pass retrievals, which may introduce a sampling bias compared to full daily coverage.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA and Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE) via the Aquarius/SAC-D satellite.
- Collection Method
- Satellite remote sensing using three push-broom radiometers at 1.413 GHz and a 1.26 GHz scatterometer.
- Time Range
- Monthly averages, specific date range unknown.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Global ocean coverage with a 370 km cross-track swath.