The advent of ocean-observing satellites has launched a new era of marine discovery. Satellite-based oceanography has helped us understand the pattern and
effects of
El Niño and
La Niña, helping to forecast and mitigate the disastrous effects of floods and drought. Likewise,
using remote sensing data and computer models, scientists can now investigate how the oceans affect the evolution of weather, hurricanes,
and climate. Other beneficiaries of the "satellite oceanography age" include ship routers, fisheries managers, marine mammalogists, and coral reef
researchers.
Starting in 2010 Aquarius will measure
Sea Surface Salinity (SSS), a critical climate-sensitive variable not presently
mapped from space. Salinity is a missing variable that -- along with satellites that measure ocean currents (e.g.,
TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1 ),
sea surface temperature (e.g.,
AVHRR) and winds (e.g.,
QuikSCAT),
and ocean color (e.g.,
SeaWiFS, MODIS) -- will yield a complete set of surface observations to study
how global
ocean circulation responds to climate change. Moreover, as salinity is a key surface tracer of
fresh water input to output from the ocean, SSS also provides much-needed information for global
water cycle
research. Thus
Aquarius data will augment spaceborne measurements of precipitation, evaporation, soil moisture,
atmospheric water vapor, and sea ice extent.
