Sea surface salinity is key to understanding how freshwater moves into and out of the ocean system. Using satellite data from Aquarius and SMAP, scientists are now able to relate salinity variations to evaporation and precipitation, providing insight into how the ocean responds to seasonal and annual changes in the water cycle. Use the resources on this page to learn more about how water circulates around the globe.
There's no such thing as absolute good or bad, right? In certain areas, you want to monitor the change, that's really the key. You want to see whether the area's freshwater gets fresher, you know, and if the salty water gets saltier. That represents the speeding up or slowing down of the water cycle. So you ask the questions: do we have more evaporation as we change the climate? Do we have more freshwater melting? All these questions are related.
Mostly due to the land-sea contrast (located between two major continents). It is also smaller than the Pacific.
