Degrees of salinity shot from space

The first global map of the salinity of the ocean surface has been produced by NASA’s new Aquarius instrument.

The map shows higher salinity in the subtropics; higher average salinity in the Atlantic Ocean compared to the Pacific and Indian oceans and lower salinity in rainy belts near the equator.

“Aquarius has exposed a pattern of ocean surface salinity that is rich in variability across a wide range of scales,” Aquarius science team member Professor of oceanography Arnold Gordon said.

Aquarius will also study these features link to climate and weather variations.