Aquarius: Annual Sea Surface Density Maps from Satellite

Global sea surface density data at 1-degree spatial resolution, averaged annually from descending satellite passes. NASA and Argentina's CONAE produced this version 5.0 dataset using the Aquarius/SAC-D satellite's radiometers and scatterometer. Surface density estimates are derived from retrieved salinity and collocated sea surface temperature data.

Use Cases

• Model global ocean circulation and climate patterns based on gridded sea surface density data.
• Study annual variability in ocean salinity and density based on descending pass satellite retrievals.
• Validate and calibrate other oceanographic models based on satellite-derived density estimates.
• Analyze the relationship between sea surface temperature and density based on collocated ancillary data.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a dedicated satellite instrument with three radiometers and a scatterometer for surface roughness correction.
• Provides gridded data at a consistent 1-degree spatial resolution.
• Produced through a collaborative effort between NASA and the Argentinian Space Agency (CONAE).

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset includes only descending satellite passes, which may limit temporal coverage.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Aquarius/SAC-D instrument, with data processing to create standard mapped images.

Time Range

Annual averages.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 14:54:43.256131; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean coverage.