Abstract
A new methodology using a combination of debiased non-Bayesian retrieval, DINEOF (Data Interpolating Empirical Orthogonal Functions) and multifractal fusion has been used to obtain Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) fields over the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The debiased non-Bayesian retrieval mitigates the systematic errors produced by the contamination of the land over the sea. In addition, this retrieval improves the coverage by means of multiyear statistical filtering criteria. This methodology allows obtaining SMOS SSS fields in the Mediterranean Sea. However, the resulting SSS suffers from a seasonal (and other time-dependent) bias. This time-dependent bias has been characterized by means of specific Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs). Finally, high resolution Sea Surface Temperature (OSTIA SST) maps have been used for improving the spatial and temporal resolution of the SMOS SSS maps. The presented methodology practically reduces the error of the SMOS SSS in the Mediterranean Sea by half. As a result, the SSS dynamics described by the new SMOS maps in the Algerian Basin and the Balearic Front agrees with the one described by in situ SSS, and the mesoscale structures described by SMOS in the Alboran Sea and in the Gulf of Lion coincide with the ones described by the high resolution remotely-sensed SST images (AVHRR).
Highlights
IntroductionThe water balance in the basin is characterized by an excess of evaporation over precipitation and river runoff, which is compensated by the entrance of fresher water from the Atlantic
The Mediterranean Sea is a hot spot for climate change [1]
A new methodology using a combination of the new retrieval debiased non-Bayesian algorithm, DINEOF and multifractal fusion has been used to obtain Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) fields over the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea
Summary
The water balance in the basin is characterized by an excess of evaporation over precipitation and river runoff, which is compensated by the entrance of fresher water from the Atlantic. This Atlantic water (AW), which spreads through the Mediterranean Sea, determines the surface circulation [2]. The eddy activity in the region enhances the mixing of the recently entered fresher AW with the saltier resident ones, strongly affecting the spatial distribution of salinity and, playing a major role in the surface circulation of the Mediterranean Sea ([4,5] and references therein).
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