1. Ocean Sciences The oceans cover 3/4 of the Earth’s surface. They provide the thermal memory for the global climate system, and are a major reservoir of the planet’s carbon.

2. Ocean Sciences Current Activities Science Investigations with NASA Science Investigations with NASA Heritage Data Streams & Products Heritage Data Streams & Products Ocean Color & SST Product Ocean Color & SST Product Generation Generation AQUARIUS Ground System AQUARIUS Ground System & Algorithm Development & Algorithm Development Coastal Observations Coastal Observations Modeling & Prediction Modeling & Prediction Wave Tank Experiments Wave Tank Experiments

3. Ocean Biology Processing Ocean Biology/Color Data Processing SeaWiFS MODIS/Terra OCTS and CZCS reprocessing MODIS HiRes NO2 sensitivity analyses & global data set development SeaWiFS, MODIS reprocessing Chesapeake Bay analyses Chlorophyll-a algorithms Aerosol model evaluations NPP VIIRS

4. Sea-surface Temperature Processing AQUA TERRA (developmental) Global Hi-Resolution Sea- Surface products for global assimilation experiment SST data product used for GODAE

5. Sea-Surface Salinity Processing The areas highlighted in green represent the primary Aquarius responsibilities for NASA GSFC and its Oceanography scientists and researchers, including the validation and calibration of raw Aquarius data.

6. NPP/VIIRSNPP/VIIRS EDU test data Worked closely with NPP Instrument Characterization Support Team (GSFC) on test data analyses Developed archive of test data Preparing for test data evaluation Sensor Performance Issues: Optical and electronic crosstalk Polarization sensitivity Relative Spectral Response (RSR) Money & Schedule constraints on characterization testing

7. Ocean Modeling Ocean models offer a way of interpreting complicated satellite data retrievals. The more the accurate a model tracks observed variability, the greater the confidence such variability may one day be predicted by the model. Sea-surface heights from our ocean model accurately reproduce trends in the North Atlantic as seen by the TOPEX altimeter. This showed a slowing down of the important meridional overturning circulation. Change in the dominant sea-surface height pattern in the North Atlantic during the 1990s from our model driven by realistic atmospheric forcing. Warm colors indicate a trend to higher sea surface heights.

8. Subtropical surface drifter tracks. Drifter tracks entering (cyan) and leaving (magenta) the region (30-50W, 35-45N): during 1991-2000, and (b) during 2001- 2006. In (a) the drifter history is followed only through end of 2000. Total number of drifters in (a) is 178 and 145 in (b). Note the open pathway to the Norwegian Sea from 2001-2006. It appears the opening mechanism is due to a shift in the wind stress forcing Shifting Currents of the North Atlantic and the relation to changes in surface wind stress. Analysis of Historical Data

9. Ocean Salinity Modeling Temporal advective scale for salinity as determined from hi-resolution model simulation. Shorter temporal scales along the equator indicate processes that would inhibit determining atmospheric forcing directly from local salinity changes as would be observed by AQUARIUS.

10. Surface Forcing from Salinity Field Correlations between surface salinity temporal changes and local exchanges with the atmosphere (E-P), an AQUARIUS science goal. Note highest correlations occur where the advective scales are the longest. Negative correlations along the equator are a result of stirring by the increased wind stress that accompanies precipitation events.

11. Studies in Ocean Biogeochemistry & Coastal Oceans Subtropical N. Atlantic Ocean CDOM DOC Chesapeake Mid-Atlantic Bight Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) can be determined from ocean color (CDOM) satellite data.

12. Ocean Surface CO2 The ocean is a large potential reservoir for carbon dioxide. The ocean absorbs approximately 30% of the carbon emissions by fossil fuels at high latitudes. Until direct measurements are available, temperature, salinity and ocean color data from NASA sensors can be used to investigate carbon uptake by the ocean. Spatial autocorrelation functions of the partial pressure of CO2 for various ocean regions as calculated from the in situ data base. Shortest correlation scales are found near the strongest currents such as the Kuroshio.

13. Natural Sunglint Reveals Surface Statistics Laboratory Measurement of Glint Angles Wave Slope vs. Time (green) Glint Intensity (blue) Glint S-Polarization (orange) Air-sea Interaction Studies Wave tank studies used to quantify the effect of sun glint on measurements of remotely sensed properties of the ocean surface, such as microwave returns.