Aquarius Satellite 7-Day Running Mean Sea Surface Salinity Gridded Data

Aquarius Level 3 data provides global sea surface salinity (SSS) measurements at 1-degree spatial resolution, averaged over a 7-day running mean. Version 5.0 of this dataset was produced by NASA and Argentina's CONAE using a satellite-mounted radiometer and scatterometer. The data was last updated in June 2015.

Use Cases

• Analyze global 7-day running mean sea surface salinity (SSS) patterns from the gridded 1-degree resolution data.
• Study the relationship between brightness temperature measurements (TH, TV at 1.413 GHz) and derived salinity values.
• Apply surface roughness corrections using the co-located 1.26 GHz scatterometer backscatter data for each footprint.
• Investigate salinity variability across the instrument's 370 km cross-track swath, which combines three beams at different incidence angles.

Strengths

• Data is gridded at a consistent 1-degree spatial resolution for global analysis.
• Combines measurements from three radiometer beams and a scatterometer for surface correction.
• Provides a 7-day running mean product, smoothing short-term noise for trend analysis.

Limitations

• The dataset's last update was in 2015, limiting analysis of recent ocean conditions.
• Specific row count, file size, and detailed temporal coverage are not provided in the description.
• The 1-degree resolution may be too coarse for studying fine-scale oceanographic features.

Provenance

Source

NASA and the Argentinian Space Agency (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.

Freshness

Last updated on 2015-06-07.

Geography

Global ocean coverage within the satellite's 370 km swath.