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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.
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Check out our interactive stories centered on ocean salinity and its importance to our lives.
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Latest News »
Adaptive Sampling of Rain and Ocean Salinity from Autonomous Seagliders (Guam 2019-2020) Dataset Release (24-Mar-22). Multi-Mission Optimally Interpolated Sea Surface Salinity (OISSS) Monthly Level 4 V1.0 Dataset Release (22-Feb-22). Multi-Mission Optimally Interpolated Sea Surface Salinity (OISSS) Level 4 V1.0 Dataset Release (30-Jun-21). 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 Trossman, D., and Bayler, E. (2022). An Algorithm to Bias-Correct and Transform Arctic SMAP-Derived Skin Salinities into Bulk Surface Salinities Akhter, S., Qiao, F., Wu, K., Yin, X., Azam Chowdhury, M., Kawser Ahmed, M., and Maksud Kamal, A. (2022). Spatiotemporal Variations of the Thermohaline Structure and Cyclonic Response in the Northern Bay of Bengal: The Evaluation of a Global Ocean Forecasting System Jang, E., Kim, Y., Im, J., Park, Y.-G., and Sung, T. (2022). Global Sea Surface Salinity via the Synergistic use of SMAP Satellite and HYCOM Data Based on Machine Learning Grodsky, S., Reul, N., Bentamy, A., and Vandemark, D. (2022). Eastward Propagating Surface Salinity Anomalies in the Tropical North Atlantic
Meetings »
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.
