The measurement of salinity from space: sensor concept

Salinity in the open ocean is important for understanding ocean dynamics and for modeling energy exchange with the atmosphere. The potential exists for obtaining global coverage of sea surface salinity using a microwave sensor in space operating at L-band (1.4 GHz). Work is currently underway at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to define a sensor to make this measurement from space. The goal is to achieve spatial resolution on the order of 100 km with a revisit time of 14 days or less and a calibration accuracy equivalent to 0.2 psu. It is planned to combine the radiometer with a radar to help correct for surface roughness. It is believed that such a sensor system can be developed within the confines of a future Earth Sensor System Pathfinder (ESSP) mission.