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.
Salinity Stories
Check out our interactive stories centered on ocean salinity and its importance to our lives.
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Latest News »
Multi-Mission Optimally Interpolated Sea Surface Salinity (OISSS) Level 4 V1.0 Dataset Release (30-Jun-21). https://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset/OISSS_L4_multimission_7day_v1 Hurricanes Wakes Show Asymmetrical Response in Ocean Salinity (21-Jan-21). https://eos.org/editor-highlights/hurricanes-wakes-show-asymmetrical-response-in-ocean-salinity JPL V5 Data Release (11-Dec-20). https://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/datasetlist?search=JPLSMAPSSSV50
Recent Publications »
Ashafahani, A.A., Wirasatriya, A., Pranowo, W.S., Sugianto, D.N., and Maslukah, L. (in press). The Dynamic of Convergence Zone Displacement in Western Pacific Ocean on 2015 Super El Niño Event Dorigo, W., Dietrich, S., Aires, F., Brocca, L., Carter, S., Cretaux, J., Dunkerley, D., Enomoto, H., Forsberg, R., Güntner, A., Hegglin, M. I., Hollmann, R., Hurst, D. F., Johannessen, J. A., Kummerow, C., Lee, T., Luojus, K., Looser, U., Miralles, D. G., Pellet, V., Recknagel, T., Vargas, C. R., Schneider, U., Schoeneich, P., Schröder, M., Tapper, N., Vuglinsky, V., Wagner, W., Yu, L., Zappa, L., Zemp, M., and Aich, V. (2021). Closing the Water Cycle from Observations across Scales: Where Do We Stand? Kok, P.H., Wijeratne, S., Akhir, M.F., Pattiaratchi, C., Roseli, N.H., and Mohamad Ali, F.S. (2021). Interconnection Between the Southern South China Sea and the Java Sea Through the Karimata Strait Mandal, A., Chaudhary, A., Agarwal, N., and Sharma, R. (2021). Sub-Surface Ocean Structure from Satellite Surface Observations in the North Indian Ocean Hall, K., Daley, A., Whitehall, S., Sandiford, S., and Gentemann, C. (2021). Validating Salinity From SMAP With Saildrones and Research Vessel Data During EUREC4A-OA/ATOMIC
Meetings »
Ocean Salinity Conference 2022
June 6-9, 2022
Columbia University, New York City, New York, USA (an in-person event with a virtual participation option)
Conference Website | Abstract Submission Form | Registration
Columbia University, New York City, New York, USA (an in-person event with a virtual participation option)
Conference Website | Abstract Submission Form | Registration
The Ocean Salinity Conference aims to foster scientific exchanges and collaborations in the broad community involved in ocean salinity science, applications, technology development, product services, and community building.
This conference (postponed from November 2020) is part of a series of international salinity community meetings (Brest, France - 2013, Exeter, UK - 2014, Hamburg, Germany - 2015, Falmouth/MA, USA - 2017, and Paris, France - 2018).
The conference presentations and discussion will review recent progress, identify knowledge and capability gaps, and chart the way forward to sustain and enhance the ocean salinity observing system as well as to maximize the value of the resulting measurements.
