Aquarius Satellite 7-Day Sea Surface Density Gridded Maps

7-day averaged gridded maps of sea surface density at 1-degree spatial resolution, derived from satellite observations. The data is the official end-of-mission release (Version 5.0) from the NASA and CONAE AQUARIUS/SAC-D mission, processed and released by POCLOUD in 2015. Surface density estimates are calculated using TEOS-10 from retrieved Aquarius salinity and collocated ancillary sea surface temperature data.

Use Cases

• Analyzing spatial patterns of ocean density from gridded 1-degree maps to study ocean circulation.
• Investigating the relationship between sea surface density, salinity, and collocated ancillary SST over 7-day periods.
• Validating oceanographic models using satellite-derived density estimates based on TEOS-10.
• Monitoring temporal changes in surface ocean density using the 7-day averaged time series product.

Strengths

• Official end-of-mission public data release (Version 5.0) ensuring final calibration.
• Data provides 1-degree spatial resolution gridded maps for consistent global analysis.
• Derived using the standard TEOS-10 equation from satellite salinity and ancillary SST.

Limitations

• Data release is from 2015, representing a historical snapshot with no recent updates.
• Spatial resolution is 1 degree, which may be too coarse for studying mesoscale ocean features.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and sample data are unavailable for assessing dataset scale.

Provenance

Source

NASA and Argentinian Space Agency (CONAE) AQUARIUS/SAC-D mission.

Collection Method

Derived from brightness temperature measurements at 1.413 GHz by three radiometers and ocean backscatter from a 1.26 GHz scatterometer onboard the satellite.

Time Range

Covers the operational period of the Aquarius mission up to its end; specific date range not provided.

Freshness

Last updated in 2015; represents a final, static mission dataset.

Geography

Global ocean coverage from satellite swath with a total cross-track width of approximately 370 km.