Sea surface salinity (SSS) plays a key role in ocean circulation and the regulation of Earth's climate. Deciphering the dominant processes that affect SSS - evaporation and precipitation - will improve our ability to monitor, understand, and model those factors that ultimately govern ocean motion and climate variation.

Featured Video: Why SPURS?

Resources

• An Oceanographer and the Water Cycle
  [NASA Earth Observatory]
  If one wants to find out what the water cycle is doing, one should be looking at the oceans
• Classroom Activities
  [NASA Aquarius]
  "Hands on" laboratory activities for Grades K-12
• The Water Cycle - Now You See It, Now You Don't
  [NASA Salinity]
  This activity focuses on two aspects of the water cycle: evaporation and condensation
• Sea Surface Salinity and Ocean Circulation
  [CLIMB]
  The effects of sea surface salinity on ocean circulation are illustrated in this interactive concept map from COSEE-Ocean Systems
• The Role of Salt
  [NASA Salinity]
  How much salt is there? Where does it come from? Is salinity uniform throughout the ocean? Answers to these questions and more
• Student Outcomes
  [NASA Aquarius]
  Twenty three student outcomes addressed by Aquarius EPO materials and aligned with National Science Education Standards
• The Power of Sea Salt
  [YouTube]
  A ScienceCast movie from Science at NASA
• Ocean Circulation and Climate
  [NASA Salinity]
  Ocean salinity's influence on the environment can be summarized by looking at Earth's three major latitude zones: high latitudes, mid-latitudes, and the tropics