Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Commentary
  • Published:

Keeping the lights on for global ocean salinity observation

Nature Climate Change volume 6, pages 228–231 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Insights about climate are being uncovered thanks to improved capacities to observe ocean salinity, an essential climate variable. However, cracks are beginning to appear in the ocean observing system that require prompt attention if we are to maintain the existing, hard-won capacity into the near future.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: The global water cycle — the oceanic perspective.
Figure 2: Historical and projected Argo float deployments and the resulting global array density.

References

  1. Durack, P. J. Oceanography 28, 20–31 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Rodell, M. et al. J. Clim. 28, 8289–8318 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Riser, S. C. et al. Nature Clim. Change 6, 145–153 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Talley, L. D. et al. Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci. 8, 185–215 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Boyer, T. P. et al. NOAA Atlas NESDIS 72 (ed. Levitus, S.) 209 (World Ocean Database, 2013); http://go.nature.com/rnJyxp

  6. Liu, W. T., Xie, X. & Katsaros, K. B. Remote Sens. Environ. 123, 593–599 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Boutin, J. et al. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans 119, 5533–5545 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Asher, W. E., Jessup, A. T., Branch, R. & Clark, D. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans 119, 5483–5500 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Fournier, S., Chapron, B., Salisbury, J., Vandemark, D. & Reul, N. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans 120, 3177–3192 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Vinogradova, N. T. & Ponte, R. M. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans 118, 3190–3201 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Köhl, A., Sena Martins, M. & Stammer, D. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans 119, 5449–5464 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Grodsky, S. A., Reverdin, G., Carton, J. A. & Coles, V. J. Remote Sens. Environ. 140, 14–22 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Korosov, A., Counillon, F. & Johannessen, J. A. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans 120, 268–283 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Durack, P. J., Wijffels, S. E. & Gleckler, P. J. Environ. Res. Lett. 9, 114017 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Llovel, W. & Lee, T. Geophys. Res. Lett. 42, 1148–1157 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Gordon, A. L., Giulivi, C. F., Busecke, J. & Bingham, F. M. Oceanography 28, 32–39 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Lee, T. et al. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans 119, 8375–8394 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Kao, H.-Y. & Lagerloef, G. S. E. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans 120, 1096–1106 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Bryan, F. & Bachman, S. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 45, 724–736 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Bindoff, N. L. et al. in Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis (eds Solomon, S. et al.) Ch. 5, 385–432 (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2007).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Rhein, M. et al. in Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis (eds Stocker, T F. et al.) Ch. 3, 255–315 (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2013).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Roemmich, D., Gould, W. J. & Gilson, J. Nature Clim. Change 2, 425–428 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Roemmich, D. et al. Nature Clim. Change 5, 240–245 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Gleckler, P. J., Durack, P. J., Stouffer, R. J., Johnson, G. C. & Forest, C. E. Nature Clim. Change http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2915 (2016).

  25. Von Schuckmann, K. et al. Nature Clim. Change 6, 138–144 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Helm, K. P., Bindoff, N. L. & Church, J. A. Geophys. Res. Lett. 37, L18701 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Durack, P. J., Wijffels, S. E. & Matear, R. J. Science 336, 455–458 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Heuzé, C., Vivier, F., Le Sommer, J., Molines, J. M. & Penduff, T. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans 120, 7960–7978 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Wunsch, C. Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci. 8, 1–33 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Gillis, J. New York Times (11 Aug 2014); http://go.nature.com/aH7vmX

    Google Scholar 

  31. Baumgartner, A. & Reichel, E. The World Water Balance: Mean Annual Global, Continental and Maritime Precipitation, Evaporation and Runoff (Elsevier, 1975).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Schmitt, R. W. Rev. Geophys. 33, 1395–1409 (1995).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Trenberth, K. E., Smith, L., Qian, T., Dai, A. & Fasullo, J. J. Hydrometeorol. 8, 758–769 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Schanze, J. J., Schmitt, R. W. & Yu, L. L. J. Mar. Res. 68, 569–595 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Steffen, K. et al. in Understanding Sea-Level Rise and Variability (eds Church, J. A., Woodworth, P. L., Aarup. T. & Wilson, W. S.) Ch. 7, 178–225 (Blackwell, 2010).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dean Roemmich, Susan E. Wijffels, Lynne D. Talley, Gregory C. Johnson and Bernadette M. Sloyan for providing information for the international Argo and GO-SHIP programs respectively. We also thank Mathieu Belbeoch, Argo Coordinator at JCOMMOPS, for providing Argo deployment and active float activity data. The work of P.J.D. from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is a contribution to the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Climate and Environmental Sciences Division, Regional and Global Climate Modeling Program under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. The work by T.L. was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under a contract with the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA). The work by N.T.V. was supported by NASA's Physical Oceanography Program.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, 94550, California, USA

    Paul J. Durack

  2. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 91109, California, USA

    Tong Lee

  3. Atmospheric and Environmental Research, 131 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, 02421, Massachusetts, USA

    Nadya T. Vinogradova

  4. University of Hamburg, Mittelweg 177, 20148, Hamburg, Germany

    Detlef Stammer

Authors
  1. Paul J. Durack
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tong Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nadya T. Vinogradova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Detlef Stammer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul J. Durack.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Information (PDF 1841 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Durack, P., Lee, T., Vinogradova, N. et al. Keeping the lights on for global ocean salinity observation. Nature Clim Change 6, 228–231 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2946

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2946

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Anthropocene

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Anthropocene newsletter — what matters in anthropocene research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Anthropocene