Global Sea Surface Salinity from Three Satellite Missions, 2011-Present

A 0.25-degree spatial and 4-day temporal grid product derived from Aquarius, SMAP, and SMOS satellite data using Optimal Interpolation. The dataset offers a continuous record from August 28, 2011 to present, covering the global ocean except internal seas. It is produced by Earth and Space Research (ESR), the International Pacific Research Center (IPRC), and Remote Sensing Systems (RSS).

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean circulation and freshwater fluxes based on global salinity maps.
• Analyzing long-term trends in sea surface salinity for climate change studies.
• Validating and calibrating other oceanographic models and in-situ measurements.
• Studying the impact of melting polar ice on ocean salinity in Arctic and Antarctic regions.

Strengths

• Integrates data from three satellite missions (Aquarius, SMAP, SMOS) for a continuous record from 2011.
• Uses in-situ data from Argo floats and moored buoys for bias correction and accuracy validation.
• Provides data on a consistent 0.25-degree spatial and 4-day temporal grid.
• Explicitly addresses data gaps and ensures consistency with a two-month mission overlap.

Limitations

• Does not cover internal seas such as the Mediterranean and Baltic Sea.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from level 2 swath data of three satellite missions using Optimal Interpolation (OI) with a 7-day decorrelation time scale.

Time Range

August 28, 2011 to present

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:07:26.602713; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean, including Arctic and Antarctic areas free of sea ice.