Aquarius Satellite Daily Sea Surface Salinity Gridded Maps

Aquarius Level 3 data provides daily gridded sea surface salinity (SSS) maps at a 1-degree spatial resolution. This version 5.0 dataset represents the official end-of-mission public release from the NASA and CONAE AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite mission. The data was last updated in June 2015.

Use Cases

• Analyzing daily global sea surface salinity patterns using the 1-degree gridded SSS values.
• Validating ocean circulation models by comparing simulated salinity against the satellite-derived ascending pass data.
• Studying the relationship between ocean surface roughness, measured by the scatterometer backscatter at 1.26 GHz, and its correction impact on the final salinity estimation.
• Investigating sensor performance by comparing brightness temperature measurements (TH and TV) from the three radiometers at 29, 38, and 46-degree incidence angles.

Strengths

• Provides data at a standardized 1-degree spatial resolution for global analysis.
• Derived from three dedicated radiometers and a scatterometer, offering multiple measurement perspectives for correction.
• Represents the final, official version 5.0 data product from the mission.

Limitations

• Data collection ended with the mission, resulting in a static dataset with no updates since 2015.
• Product uses only ascending pass retrievals, which may introduce sampling bias compared to a full daily cycle.
• Specific error metrics, row counts, and completeness statistics for the gridded product are unknown.

Provenance

Source

NASA and Argentinian Space Agency (CONAE) AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite mission.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via three push-broom radiometers at 1.413 GHz and a 1.26 GHz scatterometer, processed into daily gridded maps.

Time Range

Mission duration; specific start date unknown.

Freshness

Static final release; last updated 2015-06-07.

Geography

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