Highlights

Ocean currents
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Water Cycle, Ocean Change & Climate

A continual cycle of evaporation and rain

Sunset over the ocean

Water Cycle, Ocean Change & Climate

The ocean plays a critical role in the global water cycle and this is reflected in the salinity of ocean water »

Cloudy sky
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Seasons of Salinity

The annual rise and fall of salinity

Mooring at sunset

Seasons of Salinity

Tracing the ocean's seasonal patterns of salinity and the global water cycle »

Satellite data
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Salinity Fronts

Fronts are the hot spots of marine life

Satellite data

Salinity Fronts

Computer algorithms can detect fronts from satellite data for better fisheries management »

LandSat image: clouds
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Oscillations & Dipoles

Earth's ocean and atmosphere interact in countless ways

LandSat image: dust

Oscillations & Dipoles

Ocean-atmosphere oscillations and dipoles are erratic in strength, timing, and notoriously difficult to predict. »

Sea ice boundary
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High Latitudes

Salinity is a "key ingredient" for high-latitude ocean ecological communities

Fractured ice

High Latitudes

Climate is changing. And nowhere is it more evident than near Earth's poles. »

Cloudy day along the coast
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Salinity & Soil Moisture: Water Cycle Links

Water evaporating from the ocean sustains precipitation on land

Water-soaked land

Salinity & Soil Moisture: Water Cycle Links

Exploring the connection between salinity, ocean-to-land moisture transport, and soil moisture. »

Map of annual averaged surface TA
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Monitoring Total Alkalinity & Ocean Acidification

Total alkalinity (TA) is needed to assess ocean acidification

Rain over the ocean

Monitoring Total Alkalinity & Ocean Acidification

Key parameters needed to assess ocean acidification - including TA - have dependencies on salinity. »

Hurricane tracks
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Air-Sea Interactions: Hurricanes

How these storms may intensify

Hurricane

Air-Sea Interactions: Hurricanes

New research shows that low sea surface salinity caused by the outflow of major rivers can have a considerable impact on how storms intensify »

Ocean color along the coast
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River Plumes, Marginal Seas & Coasts

Connecting land-based events to the ocean

Sea surface salinity map

River Plumes, Marginal Seas & Coasts

See how Aquarius and SMAP salinity data have been used to study marginal seas and river plumes emanating from five continents »