Aquarius/SAC-D Satellite Sea Surface Salinity, 2011-2015

NOAA NCEI created two Level-3 experimental datasets for quality monitoring of Aquarius satellite sea surface salinity (SSS) products. The data includes monthly and 7-day mean SSS values on a 1.0-degree grid, derived from Level-2 swath data processed by NASA Goddard and JPL. This dataset covers the operational period of the Aquarius/SAC-D mission from August 2011 to June 2015.

Use Cases

• Monitor long-term trends in global sea surface salinity based on the monthly mean data.
• Assess short-term salinity variability using the 7-day mean time series.
• Compare satellite-derived salinity products from different processing algorithms (ADPS vs. CAP).
• Validate ocean circulation and climate models with gridded, binned salinity observations.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a dedicated satellite mission (Aquarius/SAC-D) designed for salinity measurement.
• Provides two complementary temporal aggregations: monthly and 7-day mean values.
• Includes data processed by two authoritative sources: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Limitations

• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect temporal bias inherent to the specific 2011-2015 mission period.

Provenance

Source

National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), NOAA, Department of Commerce.

Collection Method

Generated from Level-2 swath data via equal-weighted box averaging onto a 1.0-degree grid.

Time Range

2011-08 26 to 2015-06-04

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-05 22:32:21.218354; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean coverage from satellite observations.