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Satellite-based Sea Surface Salinity designed for Ocean and Climate Studies
  • +25
  • Jacqueline Boutin,
  • Nicolas Reul,
  • Julia Köhler,
  • Adrien C.H. Martin,
  • Rafael Catany,
  • Sebastien Guimbard,
  • Frederic Rouffi,
  • Jean-Luc Vergely,
  • Manuel Arias,
  • Meriem Chakroun,
  • Giovanni Corato,
  • Victor Esttella-Perez,
  • Audrey Emilie Alice Hasson,
  • Simon A. Josey,
  • Dimitry Khvorostyanov,
  • Nicolas Kolodziejczyk,
  • Juliette Mignot,
  • Léa Olivier,
  • Gilles Reverdin,
  • Detlef Stammer,
  • Alexandre Supply,
  • Clovis Thouvenin-Masson,
  • Antonio Turiel,
  • Paolo Cipollini,
  • Craig Donlon,
  • Roberto Sabia,
  • Susanne Mecklenburg,
  • Jerome Vialard
Jacqueline Boutin
French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Nicolas Reul
IFREMER, IFREMER
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Julia Köhler
Institute of Oceanography, University Hamburg, Institute of Oceanography, University Hamburg
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Adrien C.H. Martin
National Oceanography Centre, National Oceanography Centre
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Rafael Catany
Argans Ltd, Argans Ltd
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Sebastien Guimbard
Ocean Scope, Ocean Scope
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Frederic Rouffi
ACRI-st, ACRI-st
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Jean-Luc Vergely
ACRI-st, ACRI-st
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Manuel Arias
Argans Ltd, Argans Ltd
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Meriem Chakroun
ACRI-st, ACRI-st
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Giovanni Corato
Adwaiseo, Adwaiseo
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Victor Esttella-Perez
LOCEAN, LOCEAN
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Audrey Emilie Alice Hasson
Sorbonne Universités (UPMC, University of Paris 6)-CNRS-IRD-MNHN, Sorbonne Universités (UPMC, University of Paris 6)-CNRS-IRD-MNHN
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Simon A. Josey
National Oceanography Centre, National Oceanography Centre
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Dimitry Khvorostyanov
LOCEAN, LOCEAN
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Nicolas Kolodziejczyk
LOPS, University of Brest, LOPS, University of Brest
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Juliette Mignot
LOCEAN, LOCEAN
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Léa Olivier
LOCEAN, LOCEAN
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Gilles Reverdin
Sorbonne Université, CNRS/IRD/MNHN, LOCEAN-IPSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS/IRD/MNHN, LOCEAN-IPSL
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Detlef Stammer
University Hamburg, Centrum für Erdsystemforschung und Nachhaltigkeit (CEN), University Hamburg, Centrum für Erdsystemforschung und Nachhaltigkeit (CEN)
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Alexandre Supply
Sorbonne Université, CNRS/IRD/MNHN, LOCEAN-IPSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS/IRD/MNHN, LOCEAN-IPSL
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Clovis Thouvenin-Masson
LOCEAN, LOCEAN
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Antonio Turiel
Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC)
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Paolo Cipollini
European Space Agency, European Space Agency
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Craig Donlon
European Space Agency, European Space Agency
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Roberto Sabia
European Space Agency, European Space Agency
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Susanne Mecklenburg
European Space Agency, European Space Agency
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Jerome Vialard
LOCEAN
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Abstract

Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) is an increasingly-used Essential Ocean and Climate Variable. The SMOS, Aquarius, and SMAP satellite missions all provide SSS measurements, with very different instrumental features leading to specific measurement characteristics. The Climate Change Initiative Salinity project (CCI+SSS) aims to produce a SSS Climate Data Record (CDR) that addresses well-established user needs based on those satellite measurements. To generate a homogeneous CDR, instrumental differences are carefully adjusted based on in-depth analysis of the measurements themselves, together with some limited use of independent reference data. An optimal interpolation in the time domain without temporal relaxation to reference data or spatial smoothing is applied. This allows preserving the original datasets variability. SSS CCI fields are well-suited for monitoring weekly to interannual signals, at spatial scales ranging from 50 km to the basin scale. They display large year-to-year seasonal variations over the 2010-2019 decade, sometimes by more than +/-0.4 over large regions. The robust standard deviation of the monthly CCI SSS minus in situ Argo salinities is 0.15 globally, while it is at least 0.20 with individual satellite SSS fields. r2 is 0.97, similar or better than with original datasets. The correlation with independent ship thermosalinographs SSS further highlights the CCI dataset excellent performance, especially near land areas. During the SMOS-Aquarius period, when the representativity uncertainties are the largest, r2 is 0.84 with CCI while it is 0.48 with the Aquarius original dataset. SSS CCI data are freely available and will be updated and extended as more satellite data become available.
Nov 2021Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans volume 126 issue 11. 10.1029/2021JC017676