Monthly Ascending Sea Surface Salinity Gridded Satellite Data

Aquarius Level 3 data provides 1-degree spatial resolution sea surface salinity maps averaged monthly from satellite ascending passes. The dataset is version 5.0, produced by NASA and the Argentinian Space Agency CONAE from the AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite mission. Data was last updated in the system on June 7, 2015.

Use Cases

• Analyzing monthly sea surface salinity anomalies using the 1-degree gridded data.
• Studying ocean surface roughness corrections by integrating scatterometer backscatter measurements at 1.26 GHz.
• Calibrating salinity retrieval algorithms using brightness temperature measurements at 1.413 GHz from three radiometers.
• Mapping global salinity gradients and freshwater fluxes using rain-flagged ascending pass data.
• Validating ocean circulation models with spatially averaged salinity data over daily, 7-day, monthly, and seasonal scales.

Strengths

• Data is gridded at a consistent 1-degree spatial resolution for global analysis.
• Salinity retrievals incorporate corrections from a scatterometer measuring ocean backscatter across a 390 km swath.
• The instrument uses three radiometers at 29, 38, and 46-degree incidence angles for multi-angle observation.

Limitations

• Data is limited to ascending satellite passes only, missing descending pass information.
• The dataset version (5.0) and last system update (2015) indicate it is a historical snapshot and may not reflect current processing algorithms.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and data volume metrics are unknown.

Provenance

Source

NASA and CONAE (Argentinian Space Agency) via the AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing using three L-band radiometers and a scatterometer.

Time Range

Averaged over monthly timescales.

Freshness

Monthly temporal resolution; data last updated in system on 2015-06-07.

Geography

Global ocean coverage from a satellite with a 370 km cross-track swath.