Aquarius Satellite Monthly Sea Surface Density Grids

Global ocean data provides monthly sea surface density estimates at a 1-degree spatial resolution. NASA and Argentina's CONAE produced this official end-of-mission release from the AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite, with data last updated in June 2015. The dataset is derived from satellite-measured brightness temperature and backscatter to calculate salinity and density.

Use Cases

• Analyzing monthly sea surface density patterns and anomalies across global 1-degree grids.
• Validating ocean circulation models using satellite-derived density fields.
• Studying the relationship between sea surface salinity (retrieved by Aquarius) and density using the TEOS-10 equation of state.
• Investigating seasonal density variations by aggregating daily and 7-day data into monthly averages.

Strengths

• Data is the official end-of-mission public release (Version 5.0) for the Aquarius instrument.
• Spatial resolution is specified as 1-degree gridded global coverage.
• Derived using a defined methodology involving TEOS-10, retrieved salinity, and collocated ancillary SST.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage ends in 2015, limiting analysis of recent oceanographic changes.
• Specific row count, file size, and sample data details are unavailable for assessing volume.
• Density estimates rely on satellite retrievals and ancillary data, introducing potential retrieval error.

Provenance

Source

NASA and Argentina's Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE) via the AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite mission.

Collection Method

Remote sensing via three radiometers and a scatterometer measuring brightness temperature and ocean backscatter at 1.413 GHz and 1.26 GHz.

Time Range

Mission lifetime, aggregated into monthly averages; specific start date unknown.

Freshness

Monthly product from a mission ended in 2015; no ongoing updates.

Geography

Global ocean coverage from satellite swath.