Aquarius Satellite 28-Day Mean Sea Surface Salinity Gridded Data

28-day running mean sea surface salinity data is provided at a 1-degree spatial resolution, gridded over daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal scales. This version 5.0 dataset is the official end-of-mission public release from the AQUARIUS/SAC-D mission, processed by POCLOUD and last updated in June 2015. It is derived from three push-broom radiometers and a scatterometer measuring brightness temperature and ocean backscatter across a 370-390 km swath.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal trends in gridded 1-degree sea surface salinity using the 28-day running mean product.
• Validating ocean circulation models by comparing simulated salinity against the satellite-derived standard mapped image data.
• Correcting salinity estimates for surface roughness using the scatterometer's 1.26 GHz ocean backscatter measurements from each footprint.
• Studying spatial salinity gradients at basin scales using the multi-beam radiometer data collected across the 370 km instrument swath.

Strengths

• Spatial resolution of 1 degree for gridded salinity values.
• Data from three radiometers at distinct incidence angles (29, 38, 46 degrees) and a dedicated scatterometer for correction.
• Official end-of-mission public release (version 5.0), representing a finalized data product.

Limitations

• Data collection ended with the mission, with the last update in 2015, limiting analysis to past conditions.
• Specific row count, sample size, and geographic bounds are not provided in the description.

Provenance

Source

AQUARIUS/SAC-D mission, processed by POCLOUD.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing using three L-band radiometers and a scatterometer.

Time Range

Mission duration (specific range not provided), data represents 28-day running means.

Freshness

Last updated 2015-06-07; mission concluded.

Geography

Global ocean coverage within the instrument's 370-390 km swath.