Objectives of the Workshop, Results of SMOS+ Surface Ocean Salinity (SOS)
Ellis Ash (SatOC)Christine Gommenginger, Chris Banks, Eleni Tzortzi (NOC)
Jacqueline Boutin (LOCEAN)Nicolas Reul (Ifremer)
Matt Martin (Met Office)Craig Donlon (ESA)
http://www.smos-sos.org
Ocean Salinity Science 2014, 26-28th November, Met Officeslide 2
Contents
• Objectives of the workshop• The SMOS+SOS project• Key science questions• SMOS+SOS results showcase• Conclusions• Further talks and posters
Ocean Salinity Science 2014, 26-28th November, Met Officeslide 3
Objectives of the Workshop
• Review the progress in our understanding of ocean salinity and associated processes [all sessions]
• Present the status of satellite remote sensing of sea surface salinity and its contribution to ocean science [all sessions, especially sessions 1, 2, 3]
• Explore techniques and challenges associated with the use of salinity data in ocean models [sessions 4 and 6]
• Identify the most promising future applications for satellite-derived estimates of sea surface salinity
• Review user requirements for future satellite-derived estimates of sea surface salinity
• Prioritise future activities for ocean salinity science [panel discussion]
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Workshop Programme Summary
• Session 1: Sea surface salinity monitoring: past present and future• Session 2: Complementarities between in situ and satellite SSS
observing systems• Session 3: Satellite salinity observing systems: current
performance and issues (geophysical products)• Session 4: Salinity and ocean circulation, including modeling,
transports and upper ocean processes• Session 5: Salinity and ocean biology, biogeochemistry, bio-optics• Session 6: Salinity and ocean circulation, including climate and
forecasting• Session 7: Salinity and the water cycle, including
atmosphere/ocean/land/ice interactions and fluxes + panel discussion
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The SMOS+ SOS Project
SMOS+ Surface Ocean Salinity (SOS) is an ESA STSE project to demonstrate the performance and scientific value of SMOS Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) products through five well-defined case studies.
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Key science questions for SMOS+ SOS
• How does the surface salinity measurement made by SMOS relate to the salinity at several meters depth?
• What is the accuracy and uncertainty of SMOS SSS?• What are the new oceanographic processes we can study
with SMOS SSS?• What do we gain from using SMOS and SAC/D Aquarius
mission data in synergy?
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Amazon and Orinoco river outflow
From S. Fournier PhD thesis, Ifremer / CATDS
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Agulhas and Gulf Stream currents
From Reul et al. (2014), GRL 41(9) , 3141-3148
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Pre-assimilation studies
Intercomparison work at the Met Office, see Session 6 Matt Martin
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SPURS region and Azores current
From Kolodziejczyk et al. (2014), JGR: Oceans, under minor revisionSession 4, 1200-1220: N. Kolodziejczyk
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Tropical instability waves
From Yin et al. (2014), JGR: Oceans, in pressPoster by X. Yin, Session 2, 1120-1150: J. Boutin
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Rain events in Tropical pacific and Atlantic
From Boutin et al. (2014), JGR: Oceans, 119(8), 5533-5545Session 7, 1010-1030: J. Boutin
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High precision of SMOS relative SSS measurements
See smos-sos.org and Hernandez et al. (2014), JGR: Oceans, in press
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Conclusions
• Excellent ability of SMOS to detect strong salinity gradients further understood (Amazon plumes, Gulf Stream)
• Mesoscale salinity signatures over open ocean also very well monitored (frontal zones, rain events)
• How does the salinity measurement made by SMOS relate to the salinity at several meters depth?New evidence of strong surface freshening after rain events
• What is the accuracy and uncertainty of SMOS SSS?Relative precision of SMOS SSS refined to ~0.2 over scales 1 month and 100km
• What are the new oceanographic processes we can study with SMOS SSS?Thermohaline variability (fronts and eddies), propagation of tropical instability waves
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SMOS+SOS talks and poster• Session 2, 1120-1150: Jacqueline Boutin (LOCEAN)
SMOS provides SSS measurements complimentary to in situ network• Session 6, 1700-1720: Matthew Martin (Met Office) Suitability of satellite sea
surface salinity data for use in assessing and correcting ocean forecasts• Session 7, 1010-1030: Jacqueline Boutin (LOCEAN) Sea Surface Salinity under
rain cells: SMOS satellite and in-situ drifters observations• Session 7, 1120-1140: Eleni Tzortzi (NOC) Towards a better description of the
Atlantic SSS variability from SMOS and the role of freshwater fluxes• Poster: Chris Banks (NOC)
Building climatological sea surface salinity products from SMOS• Session 4, 1200-1220: N. Kolodziejczyk (LOCEAN) SMOS salinity in the
Subtropical North Atlantic Salinity Maximum: Horizontal Thermohaline Variability.• Session 5, 1440-1500: C. Brown (LOCEAN) The application of SMOS salinity
and SST to quantify carbon fluxes from the Eastern Tropical Pacific.• Poster: X. Yin (LOCEAN) Sea surface salinity signatures of tropical instability
waves: new evidence from SMOS