Disclaimer: This material is being kept online for historical purposes. Though accurate at the time of publication, it is no longer being updated. The page may contain broken links or outdated information, and parts may not function in current web browsers. Visit the NASA Salinity website for more information.

Science Meetings

The North Atlantic Subtropical Surface Salinity Maximum as Observed by Aquarius
Bingham, F., Busecke, J., Gordon, A., Giulivi, C., and Li, Z. (26-Feb-14)

The subtropical surface salinity maximum (SSM) in the North Atlantic was studied as part of the SPURS (Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study) experiment in 2012-2013. This poster documents the structure and variability of the SSM using Aquarius data during the two-year period August 2011 - August 2013. The Aquarius data show the seasonal migration and freshening of the SSM in good agreement with previous observations. The extent of the SSM has a surprisingly large amount of secular variability. It has decreased in area by about 20% over the time period that Aquarius has been making measurements. There has also been a general freshening of the area where the SSM is located, larger than any expected seasonal changes.