Big Pic: First Aquarius Map of Earth's Salinity
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Sept. 23, 2011 -- The satellite image above provides the exciting first view of global salinity data compiled from NASA's new Aquarius instrument, which was launched in June and began operating Aug. 25.
News: NASA Launches Salt-Seeking Satellite
The "rich tapestry of global salinity patterns demonstrates Aquarius' ability to resolve large-scale salinity distribution features clearly and with sharp contrast. The map provides a much better picture of ocean surface salinity than the Aquarius science team expected to have this early in the (three-year) mission," wrote NASA in a press release.
The data, released yesterday freshly out of the preliminary calibration procedures, still have several months of validation work to iron out errors such as low salinity values near coastlines and difficulty interpreting patterns in the Southern Ocean where high winds and low surface temperatures reign.
--by Christina Reed
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/JPL-Caltech
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