Aquarius Satellite 28-Day Running Mean Sea Surface Spiciness Data

Aquarius Level 3 sea surface spiciness data provides gridded 1-degree spatial resolution spice data averaged over multiple time scales. This version 5.0 product is a 28-day running mean derived exclusively from satellite descending passes. The data was collected by the NASA and CONAE collaborative AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite mission using three radiometers and a scatterometer.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean density and circulation based on sea surface spiciness data
• Analyzing long-term salinity trends using 28-day running mean temporal aggregation
• Calibrating remote sensing algorithms based on the described radiometer and scatterometer measurements
• Studying spatial patterns of ocean properties at the 1-degree gridded resolution

Strengths

• Data originates from a collaborative NASA and Argentinian Space Agency (CONAE) satellite mission
• Provides a 28-day running mean, which likely smooths short-term noise for trend analysis
• Spatial resolution is specified as a 1-degree gridded product

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count and exact file sizes are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the AQUARIUS/SAC-D instrument, using three radiometers at 1.413 GHz and a 1.26 GHz scatterometer.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not explicitly stated in the provided input.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 14:46:43.500228; freshness should be verified

Geography

Global ocean coverage, inferred from satellite mission and 'sea surface' description.