First Announcement for the Ocean Salinity Science & Salinity Remote Sensing Workshop 26th - 28th November 2014, Met Office, Exeter, UK

Submitted by admin on Wed, 2014-03-05 13:03
SMOS

The scientific relevance for measuring Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) is more and more recognized in the ocean community.  SSS plays an important role in the dynamics of the thermohaline circulation, ENSO, and is the key tracer for the marine branch of the global hydrological cycle, which comprises about 3/4 of the global precipitation and evaporation budget.  Ocean surface salinity is of key importance for land-sea (river plumes), air-sea (ocean stratification, barrier layers, CO2 fluxes) and ice-sea interactions, marine biology, marine biogeochemistry and marine bio-optics. Sea surface salinity is also essential to understanding the ocean’s interior water masses, knowing that they derive their underlying temperature and salinity properties during their most recent surface interval.  In addition to the in situ observing network, both SMOS and Aquarius missions are providing sea surface salinity estimates at L-band but based on different technologies deployed in space.  Results obtained so far demonstrate the strong scientific potential of the novel information provided by these new data sources. The focus of this workshop will be: 

 
1) to review progresses made in using Ocean Salinity data (SSS and subsurface);
2) to identify the associated scientific challenges and benefits of using satellite SSS data in the wider ocean community in synergy with other data sources (in situ, satellite, model); and
3) thus to foster the use of the new SSS data from space in the wider ocean and climate science communities.
 
Objectives
 
• Review the progress in our understanding of ocean salinity and associated processes 
• Present the status of satellite remote sensing of sea surface salinity and its contribution to ocean science
• Explore techniques and challenges associated with the use of salinity data in ocean models
• Identify the most promising future applications for satellite-derived estimates of sea surface salinity 
• Review user requirements for future satellite-derived estimates of sea surface salinity.
 
Themes of the workshop
 
• Status of sea surface salinity monitoring from space 
• Complementarities between in situ and satellite SSS observing systems 
• Freshwater fluxes and the salinity budget, including atmosphere/ocean/land/ice interactions from the salinity perspective
• Salinity data in ocean circulation models (data assimilation, upper ocean--‐layer modeling)
• Salinity and ocean biology (links with fisheries, primary productivity), biogeochemistry (CO2 fugacity) and bio‐optics
• Salinity and Climate Change 
• Scientific challenges (high latitudes, coastal SSS) and priorities for salinity science
 
Programme
 
• Wednesday 26th November 0900 to Friday 28th November 1300 UK time
• Invited talks from key note speakers and an open call for oral and poster contributions (abstract deadline 10 September 2014)
• The programme will be organized in 9 scientific sessions covering the themes outlined above and an opening session.  A dedicated poster session will also be organized. 
• Drinks reception evening of 26th November.