JPL SMAP CAP: Sea Surface Salinity 8-Day Running Mean Global Maps

NASA JPL SMAP Level 3 sea surface salinity data provides global 8-day running mean maps derived from satellite brightness temperatures. The dataset begins on April 1, 2015 and is ongoing, gridded at 0.25-degree resolution with an approximate spatial resolution of 60km. It is produced by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory using the Combined Active-Passive algorithm applied to the Soil Moisture Active Passive observatory.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global ocean salinity trends based on 8-day running mean sea surface salinity maps.
• Analyzing the impact of wind speed on salinity retrieval based on collocated wind speed data mentioned in the description.
• Validating ocean circulation models based on gridded salinity data with 0.25-degree resolution.
• Studying the calibration of satellite sensors based on enhanced brightness temperature methodology described.
• Investigating surface roughness corrections for salinity retrieval based on ancillary wind speed data.

Strengths

• Global coverage with a 0.25-degree x 0.25-degree grid.
• Data collection began April 1, 2015 and is ongoing, providing a multi-year time series.
• Based on newly released SMAP V5 Level-1 Brightness Temperatures with enhanced calibration.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• A scatterometer malfunction in July 2015 necessitated the use of collocated wind speed data.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive observatory using the JPL Combined Active-Passive retrieval algorithm.

Time Range

April 1, 2015 to ongoing

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 01:29:57.296766; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global