Global Sea Surface Salinity Monthly Means from Three Satellite Missions

A global monthly dataset of sea surface salinity on a 0.25-degree spatial grid. The product is a level 4 optimally interpolated mean combining data from the Aquarius/SAC-D, SMAP, and SMOS satellite missions, produced by the International Pacific Research Center and Remote Sensing Systems. The dataset was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling global ocean circulation based on optimally interpolated salinity data.
• Analyzing long-term salinity trends for climate studies based on the multi-mission monthly time series.
• Validating regional ocean models based on the 0.25-degree spatial grid.
• Studying the relationship between sea surface salinity and freshwater fluxes based on satellite-derived data.

Strengths

• Integrates data from three satellite missions (Aquarius/SAC-D, SMAP, SMOS) for continuity.
• Provides data on a consistent 0.25-degree spatial and monthly temporal grid.
• Uses Optimal Interpolation with a defined 7-day decorrelation time scale for data fusion.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) of the University of Hawaii at Manoa in collaboration with Remote Sensing Systems (RSS).

Collection Method

Optimal Interpolation of satellite data from three missions.

Time Range

Monthly temporal grid; specific date range is not provided.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:07:38.182784; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage on a 0.25-degree spatial grid.