Skip to main content
Welcome to GCOS
GCOS Slogan

Main navigation

  • Home
  • About
  • ECV
    • Essential Climate Variables
    • ECV Review
    • About Essential Climate Variables
  • Expert Panels
    • Atmospheric Observation Panel for Climate
    • Ocean Observations Physics and Climate Panel
    • Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate
    • Joint Panels Meeting 2019
    • Joint Panels Meeting 2021
  • Cooperation
    • Cooperation Mechanism
    • Regional Workshops
  • Networks
  • Indicators
  • News
  • GCOS Goes Green
  • Publications
    • IP 2016
    • Publications and Outreach
  1. Home
  2. Essential Climate Variables
  3. Subsurface Salinity

Download shortened print version of ECV factsheet (pdf) here.


Data Sources

ECV Products and Requirements


Subsurface Salinity

The global subsurface salinity observing system is vital for closure of the global hydrological cycle, estimates of oceanic evaporation and precipitation, and halosteric component of sea level change. Subsurface salinity are required to calculate in situ density and ocean freshwater transports, respectively, and coincident subsurface observations of salinity, temperature and pressure provide an estimate of the ocean geostrophic velocity. In addition, subsurface salinity is used to derive large-scale gridded climate products including ocean velocity, mixed-layer depth, density stratification, sea level and indirect subsurface ocean mixing used in many weather and climate applications.
  Domain: Ocean
  Subdomain: Physical
  Scientific Area: Hydrosphere
  Product:  Interior Salinity

 


Global Zonally Averaged Salinity

Figure: Global zonally averaged linear salinity trends [psu/50 yr] (color) with mean salinity [psu] (black contours).

Source: Durack and Wijffels (2010) 50 year trends in Global Ocean Salinities and their relationship to broad-scale warming. Journal of Climate. https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JCLI3377.1

EU Copernicus

 

Sponsors

Twitter icon



Copyright | Privacy | Contact