Recent Publications
Volkov, D.L., and Perez, R.C. (Eds.) (2026). State of the Climate in 2025: Global Oceans AMS »
Liu, Y., Duan, J., Zhou, J., Wang, F., and Li, Y. (2026). Increasing Freshwater Content off the West Coast of India Since 2013 AGU »
Jin, X., He, X., Bai, Y., Wang, Y., Zhou, L., Yu, S., Li, T., Gong, F., and Pan, D. (2026). Retrieval of Sea Surface Salinity from SMAP L-band Radiometry Under Rainfall Conditions ScienceDirect »
Stamper, N., Gopalakrishnan, G., and Subrahmanyam, B. (2026). Marine Heatwave Imprints on Salinity in the Northwest Atlantic AGU »
Kumar, J., Agarwal, N., and Sharma, R. (2026). Lagrangian Reconstruction of Fine-Grid Sea Surface Salinity from SMAP and Altimetry in the Bay of Bengal Springer »
Salt is essential
Circulating through our bodies and our seas, it impacts the health of people and the planet. Salt dissolved in seawater – measured as salinity – drives currents that distribute heat and carbon around the globe. So, salt not only preserves our food, it helps to preserve our climate by contributing to global ocean circulation.
Earth is an ocean planet
Key water cycle processes – precipitation and evaporation – mostly occur over the ocean. Thus, monitoring sea surface salinity patterns provides important clues about changes in our environment.
NASA observes salinity
Merging data from satellites and other instruments, our mission is to better understand ocean circulation, the water cycle, and climate.
How Salty Are You…?
Salinity Stories
Discover how NASA uncovers the mysteries of our ocean at
oceansciences.org
Discover how NASA uncovers the mysteries of our ocean at
oceansciences.org
MAPS
HIGHLIGHTS
Mesoscale Eddies
Explore ocean motion at the "middle" scale »
Salt & The Wind
Exploring ties between wind, ocean layers and dissolved salt in our seas »
Salinity & Ocean Life
Using salinity to find ocean organisms »
Water Cycle, Ocean Change & Climate
A continual cycle of evaporation and rain »
Seasons of Salinity
The annual rise and fall of salinity »
Salinity Fronts
Fronts are the hot spots of marine life »
Oscillations & Dipoles
Earth's ocean and atmosphere interact in countless ways »
High Latitudes
Salinity is a "key ingredient" for high-latitude ocean ecological communities »
Salinity & Soil Moisture: Water Cycle Links
Water evaporating from the ocean sustains precipitation on land »
Monitoring Total Alkalinity & Ocean Acidification
Total alkalinity (TA) is needed to assess ocean acidification »
Air-Sea Interactions: Hurricanes
How these storms may intensify »
River Plumes, Marginal Seas & Coasts
Connecting land-based events to the ocean »
GALLERY
LEARN MORE
The Role of Salt
More than just a seasoning »
Following the Water Cycle
Vital to life - critical to understand »
Density and Ocean Circulation
Salinity and temperature drive the ocean's motion »
Salinity’s Connections to Climate
Salinity - a driving force for weather and climate »
Measuring Salinity
The perspective from space »
👋 Hello, Explorer!
I'm the NASA Salinity Assistant. Ask me anything about ocean salinity, missions, and data!
👋 Welcome to NASA Salinity AI Assistant!
I know everything about this website — missions, data, science, publications and more. What would you like to know?
Powered by · NASA Salinity