Please Note: This dataset is retired, and is displayed for archive purposes only, and may not reflect the most updated information.

However, a newer version exists.
Aquarius CAP Level 2 Sea Surface Salinity, Wind Speed & Direction Data V5.0. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5067/AQR50-2TOCS

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Aquarius CAP Level 2 Sea Surface Salinity, Wind Speed & Direction Data V4.0

(AQUARIUS_L2_SSS_CAP_V4)
2 Publications Cited this Dataset
Citation metrics available for years (2014-2022)
DOI10.5067/AQR40-2TOCS
Short NameAQUARIUS_L2_SSS_CAP_V4
DescriptionThe version 4.0 Aquarius CAP Level 2 product contains the third release of the AQUARIUS/SAC-D orbital/swath data based on the Combined Active Passive (CAP) algorithm. CAP is a P.I. produced data set developed and provided by the JPL Climate Oceans and Solid Earth group (S. Yueh). This Level 2 data set contains sea surface salinity (SSS), wind speed and wind direction data derived from 3 different radiometers and the onboard scatterometer. The CAP algorithm simultaneously retrieves the salinity, wind speed and direction by minimizing the sum of squared differences between model and observations. The main improvement of CAP V4.0 is calibration of the rain roughness correction geophysical model function to HYCOM SSS adjusted by the Rain Impact Model (RIM) to account for rain induced near surface stratification. Rain-corrected salinity, wind speed and direction data variables are also provided with the CAP V4.0 L2 data. Rain corrected salinity retrieval at L2 is based on collocation with ancillary rain rate from NOAA CMORPH at 0.25 degree and 30 minute resolution, replacing the SSMI/S and WindSAT data previously used for this in CAP V3.0. Each L2 data file covers one 98 minute orbit. The Aquarius instrument is onboard the AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite, a collaborative effort between NASA and the Argentinian Space Agency Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE). The instrument consists of three radiometers in push broom alignment at incidence angles of 29, 38, and 46 degrees incidence angles relative to the shadow side of the orbit. Footprints for the beams are: 76 km (along-track) x 94 km (cross-track), 84 km x 120 km and 96km x 156 km, yielding a total cross-track swath of 370 km. The radiometers measure brightness temperature at 1.413 GHz in their respective horizontal and vertical polarizations (TH and TV). A scatterometer operating at 1.26 GHz measures ocean backscatter in each footprint that is used for surface roughness corrections in the estimation of salinity. The scatterometer has an approximate 390km swath.
Version4.0
Dataset TypeDEPRECATED
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Please contact podaac@podaac.jpl.nasa.gov for more info.
Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. Please cite the data as follows, and cite the reference papers when it is appropriate.
Citation Simon Yueh. 2015. Aquarius CAP Sea Surface Salinity and Wind Products. Ver. 4.0. PO.DAAC, CA, USA. Dataset accessed [YYYY-MM-DD] at https://doi.org/10.5067/AQR40-2TOCS

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For more information see Data Citations and Acknowledgments.
Journal Reference Yueh,S.H., W.Tang,A.K.Hayashi,G.S.E.Lagerloef (2014). L-Band Passive and Active Microwave Geophysical Model Functions of Ocean Surface Winds and Applications to Aquarius Retrieval. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING,51(9), 4619-4632

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