Aquarius: 28-Day Running Mean Sea Surface Salinity from Satellite

Aquarius Level 3 data provides global sea surface salinity (SSS) maps at 1-degree spatial resolution. This version 5.0 dataset is the official end-of-mission release from the NASA-CONAE AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite, using three radiometers and a scatterometer for measurement. The data represents a 28-day running mean average derived exclusively from satellite ascending passes.

Use Cases

• Modeling global ocean circulation patterns based on gridded salinity data.
• Studying freshwater input and evaporation cycles using the 28-day running mean time series.
• Validating other satellite or in-situ salinity measurements against this official mission data.
• Analyzing spatial salinity gradients for climate research based on the 1-degree resolution maps.

Strengths

• Official end-of-mission public data release (Version 5.0) from a dedicated satellite mission.
• Data is derived from a multi-instrument system, including three radiometers and a scatterometer for surface roughness correction.
• Provides a standardized, gridded product at 1-degree spatial resolution for ease of use.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and format details require manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics and data structure must be inferred from the downloaded files.
• Data is restricted to Ascending satellite passes only, which may limit temporal coverage for some analyses.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE).

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the AQUARIUS/SAC-D mission's radiometers and scatterometer.

Time Range

Temporal coverage of the Aquarius mission, specific range not provided in input.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 14:51:10.704795; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean coverage, inferred from satellite swath and gridded product description.