Please Note: This dataset is retired, and is displayed for archive purposes only, and may not reflect the most updated information.

However, a newer version exists.
JPL SMAP Level 2B CAP Sea Surface Salinity V5.0 Validated Dataset. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5067/SMP50-2TOCS

For Version History information click here >>

JPL SMAP Level 2B CAP Sea Surface Salinity V4.2 Validated Dataset

(SMAP_JPL_L2B_SSS_CAP_V42)
1 Publication Cited this Dataset
Citation metrics available for years (2014-2022)
DOI10.5067/SMP42-2TOCS
Short NameSMAP_JPL_L2B_SSS_CAP_V42
DescriptionThis is the PI-produced JPL SMAP-SSS V4.2, level 2B CAP, validated sea surface salinity (SSS) and extreme winds orbital/swath product from the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory. It is based on the Combined Active-Passive (CAP) retrieval algorithm developed at JPL originally in the context of Aquarius/SAC-D and now extended to SMAP. SMAP-SSS V4.2 is a complete reprocessing of the entire mission series following on from the reprocessing of the source L1B-TB data by the SMAP mission on 6/4/2018. Updates in v4.2 include: improvement in the brightness temperature (TB) calibration using an adjusted reflector emissivity, inclusion of a Sea Surface Temperature (SST) dependent flat surface emissivity model, use of updated land correction tables, and inclusion of averaged ice concentration ancillary data in the v4.2 product. The JPL SMAP-SSS L2B CAP product includes data for a range of parameters: derived SMAP sea surface salinity, SSS uncertainty and wind speed/direction data for extreme winds, brightness temperatures for each radiometer polarization, ancillary reference surface salinity, ice concentration, wind and wave height data, quality flags, and navigation data. Each data file covers one 98-minute orbit (15 files per day). Data begins on April 1,2015 and is ongoing, with a 3 day latency in processing and availability. Observations are global in extent and provided at 25km swath grid with an approximate spatial resolution of 60 km. The SMAP satellite is in a near-polar orbit at an inclination of 98 degrees and an altitude of 685 km. It has an ascending node time of 6 pm and is sun-synchronous. With its 1000km swath, SMAP achieves global coverage in approximately 3 days, but has an exact orbit repeat cycle of 8 days. On board Instruments include a highly sensitive L-band radiometer operating at 1.41GHz and an L-band 1.26GHz radar sensor providing complementary active and passive sensing capabilities. Malfunction of the SMAP scatterometer on 7 July, 2015, has necessitated the use of collocated wind speed for the surface roughness correction required for the surface salinity retrieval.
Version4.2
Dataset TypeDEPRECATED
Questions related to this dataset? Contact podaac@podaac.jpl.nasa.gov
Please contact podaac@podaac.jpl.nasa.gov for more info.
Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. Please cite the data as follows, and cite the reference papers when it is appropriate.
Citation JPL Climate Oceans and Solid Earth group. 2019. JPL CAP SMAP Sea Surface Salinity Products. Ver. 4.2. PO.DAAC, CA, USA. Dataset accessed [YYYY-MM-DD] at https://doi.org/10.5067/SMP42-2TOCS

Download Citation
RIS BIB XML JSON-LD

For more information see Data Citations and Acknowledgments.
Journal Reference Fore,A.G, S.H. Yueh, W. Tang, B.W. Stiles, and A.K. Hayashi (2016). Combined Active/Passive Retrievals of Ocean Vector Wind and Sea Surface Salinity With SMAP. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING, VOL. 54, NO. 12. p.7396-7404. DOI: 10.1109/TGRS.2016.2601486

.