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Sea surface salinity has a massive influence on Earth's climate.

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With Aquarius, scientists

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will have a new way to measure that influence in a consistent way.

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Today's computer models reliably

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predict global temperatures.  But when it comes to ocean salinity,

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the picture gets fuzzier.  Researchers use a wide

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range of methods to gather data, making it difficult to

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obtain a true global picture of how sea surface salinity is influencing

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the ocean.  Aquarius is poised

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to provide a missing link in satellite-Earth observations.

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Satellites already measure sea surface temperature, rainfall,

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sea level, surface wind, and ocean color.

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Aquarius will provide a key to help unlock links

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between ocean circulation, the global water cycle, and

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climate.  Its data will improve the accuracy of computer

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models that forecast climate changes and patterns by mapping the

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entire ice-free ocean every seven days.

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Aquarius will accomplish this daunting task by using a

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state of the art radiometer that will detect natural thermal emissions

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from the ocean surface that are affected in small part by salinity.

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Aquarius will also employ a scatterometer

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which will emit energy pulses, then study the

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return pulses to measure and correct for the effects caused by ocean

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waves.  With its unprecedented accurate and

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consistent salinity measurements, Aquarius will help