Title :
Aquarius and Remote Sensing of Sea Surface Salinity from Space
Author :
Le Vine, David M. ; Lagerloef, Gary S E ; Torrusio, Sandra E.
Author_Institution :
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
fDate :
5/1/2010 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
Aquarius is an L-band radiometer and scatterometer instrument combination designed to map the salinity field at the surface of the ocean from space. The instrument is designed to provide global salinity maps on a monthly basis with a spatial resolution of 150 km and an accuracy of 0.2 psu. The science objective is to monitor the seasonal and interannual variation of the large scale features of the surface salinity field in the open ocean. This data will promote understanding of ocean circulation and its role in the global water cycle and climate. Aquarius is the primary instrument on the Aquarius/SAC-D mission which is a partnership between the space agencies in the USA (NASA) and Argentina (CONAE). Launch is scheduled for late in 2010.
Keywords :
oceanographic equipment; oceanographic techniques; radiometry; Aquarius; Aquarius-SAC-D mission; Argentine space program; CONAE Satelite de Aplicaciones Cientificas program; Earth System Science Pathfinder program; L-band radiometer and scatterometer instrument combination; environment monitoring; global salinity maps; global water cycle; hazard detection; microwave radiometery; ocean circulation; sea surface salinity remote sensing; Instruments; L-band; Oceans; Radar measurements; Radiometry; Remote sensing; Sea surface; Sea surface salinity; Spaceborne radar; Spatial resolution; Microwave radiometery; microwave remote sensing; ocean salinity;
Journal_Title :
Proceedings of the IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/JPROC.2010.2040550
