New version v8 of debiased SSS L3 maps from Locean

A new version (version 8) of debiased SMOS SSS L3 maps generated by LOCEAN /ACRI-ST is available on CATDS CEC-OS.

This eighth version of Level 3 SMOS SSS covers the period January 2010-December 2022. For extending the period beyond December 2022, we recommend the use of the L3G SMOS products produced and distributed by the CATDS CPDC operational center, as L3G and CEC OS products use similar smoothing lengths and filtering criteria.

With respect to CEC version 7, in CEC version 8, the algorithm for computing the relative biases is unchanged (see a full description of the version 2 debiasing method in Boutin et al. RSE  2018), but the adjustment of the seasonal latitudinal biases now uses mean instead of median SSS latitudinal profiles, of the dielectric constant correction, of the rain correction and of the wind speed correction have been updated leading to local improvements in particular in high latitudes areas. Validation reports of the product compared to various sources of in situ measurements are available at PIMEP (https://www.salinity-pimep.org). At global scale, without any filtering, r2 between CEC v8 SSS and Argo delayed time SSS are 0.949 (9-day products; 0.949 with CEC V7) and 0.970 (18-day products; it was 0.971 with CEC V7), robust std of the difference is 0.26 (9-day products; 0.27 with CEC V7) and 0.18 (18-day products; it was 0.19 with CEC V7).

Feedbacks from users about the quality of these new products are very welcome, as they are experimental.

More information and data access here.