Aquarius Satellite Annual Sea Surface Density Gridded Data

Annual sea surface density maps are provided at a 1-degree spatial resolution. The data is derived from salinity retrieved by the Aquarius instrument and collocated sea surface temperature, based on the TEOS-10 standard. This version 5.0 dataset represents the official end-of-mission public release from the NASA and CONAE collaborative AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite mission, last updated in June 2015.

Use Cases

• Analyzing annual mean sea surface density patterns from 1-degree gridded data to study ocean circulation.
• Investigating the relationship between satellite-retrieved salinity and ancillary sea surface temperature data for density calculations.
• Validating ocean circulation models using spatially averaged density fields from the Aquarius mission's three-beam radiometer system.
• Assessing long-term changes in surface ocean density for climate change studies using the version 5.0 end-of-mission data release.

Strengths

• Data is gridded at a consistent 1-degree spatial resolution for global analysis.
• Derived using the standard TEOS-10 equation of seawater from satellite salinity and SST.
• Represents the final, official version 5.0 data release from the Aquarius mission.

Limitations

• Data recency is limited, with the last update recorded in June 2015.
• Spatial resolution of 1 degree may be too coarse for regional or coastal studies.
• Specific row count, file size, and temporal coverage within the annual product are unknown.

Provenance

Source

NASA and CONAE's AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite mission, processed by POCLOUD.

Collection Method

Derived from brightness temperature measurements at 1.413 GHz by three radiometers and ocean backscatter from a 1.26 GHz scatterometer for roughness correction.

Time Range

Annual averages, specific years covered are unknown.

Freshness

null

Geography

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