Aquarius Satellite 7-Day Sea Surface Density Gridded Data

Aquarius Level 3 data provides global sea surface density estimates on a 1-degree spatial grid, averaged over 7-day periods. This version 5.0 product was created by NASA and CONAE using measurements from the Aquarius/SAC-D satellite's three radiometers and a scatterometer. The dataset was last updated in June 2015.

Use Cases

• Analyze global patterns of sea surface density derived from retrieved salinity and collocated sea surface temperature.
• Study temporal variability in ocean surface properties using the 7-day averaged gridded data product.
• Validate ocean circulation and climate models by comparing model outputs with satellite-derived density maps.
• Investigate the relationship between sea surface density and other oceanographic variables across the satellite's 370 km swath.

Strengths

• Data is provided on a standardized 1-degree spatial grid, facilitating global analysis.
• Derived from a three-radiometer instrument suite measuring brightness temperature at 1.413 GHz.
• Incorporates surface roughness corrections from a 1.26 GHz scatterometer with a 390 km swath.

Limitations

• Data recency is limited, with the last update recorded in 2015.
• Product is specific to Ascending satellite passes only, not providing a complete diurnal picture.
• Spatial resolution is coarse (1-degree grid), limiting analysis of small-scale ocean features.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing using three push-broom radiometers and a scatterometer, with data processed into gridded Level 3 products.

Freshness

2015-06-07

Geography

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