Aquarius Maps: Sea Surface Density

Monthly sea surface density map images, derived from Aquarius science products V5, are available here. These are produced from Aquarius sea surface salinity and ancillary sea surface temperature using TEOS-10 equation of state (McDougall and Barker, 2011). Click on the images (below) for a closer view.

In these maps, orange regions have higher density and purple regions have lower density (1030 to 1020 kilograms per cubic meter). Seawater density is determined by its temperature and salinity. Surface seawater temperature varies widely over the globe (-1°C to 30°C), while seawater's overall salinity range is relatively small (see monthly salinity maps).

The information on these maps is important because the density characteristics of a parcel of seawater are determined while it is at the sea surface. As water parcels sink and move through the ocean, their densities will be modified by mixing with other parcels of seawater. However, if the density signatures of all the end member water masses are known, this mixing can be "unraveled" to determine the proportions of their various source waters.

Global Sea surface density, June 2015
June 2015
Global Sea surface density, May 2015
May 2015
Global Sea surface density, April 2015
April 2015
Global Sea surface density, March 2015
March 2015
Global Sea surface density, February 2015
February 2015
Global Sea surface density, January 2015
January 2015
Global Sea surface density, December 2014
December 2014
Global Sea surface density, November 2014
November 2014
Global Sea surface density, October 2014
October 2014
Global Sea surface density, September 2014
September 2014
Global Sea surface density, August 2014
August 2014
Global Sea surface density, July 2014
July 2014
Global Sea surface density, June 2014
June 2014
Global Sea surface density, May 2014
May 2014
Global Sea surface density, April 2014
April 2014
Global Sea surface density, March 2014
March 2014
Global Sea surface density, February 2014
February 2014
Global Sea surface density, January 2014
January 2014
Global Sea surface density, December 2013
December 2013
Global Sea surface density, November 2013
November 2013
Global Sea surface density, October 2013
October 2013
Global Sea surface density, September 2013
September 2013
Global Sea surface density, August 2013
August 2013
Global Sea surface density, July 2013
July 2013
Global Sea surface density, June 2013
June 2013
Global Sea surface density, May 2013
May 2013
Global Sea surface density, April 2013
April 2013
Global Sea surface density, March 2013
March 2013
Global Sea surface density, February 2013
February 2013
Global Sea surface density, January 2013
January 2013
Global Sea surface density, December 2012
December 2012
Global Sea surface density, November 2012
November 2012
Global Sea surface density, October 2012
October 2012
Global Sea surface density, September 2012
September 2012
Global Sea surface density, August 2012
August 2012
Global Sea surface density, July 2012
July 2012
Global Sea surface density, June 2012
June 2012
Global Sea surface density, May 2012
May 2012
Global Sea surface density, April 2012
April 2012
Global Sea surface density, March 2012
March 2012
Global Sea surface density, February 2012
February 2012
Global Sea surface density, January 2012
January 2012
Global Sea surface density, December 2011
December 2011
Global Sea surface density, November 2011
November 2011
Global Sea surface density, October 2011
October 2011
Global Sea surface density, September 2011
September 2011
Global Sea surface density, August 2011
August 2011
Publications
McDougall, T.J. and P.M. Barker. 2011. Getting Started With TEOS-10 and the Gibbs Seawater (GSW) Oceanographic Toolbox, SCOR/IAPSO WG127, 28 pp., ISBN 978-0-646-55621-5.