On this day in history...
...in 2009, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. SMOS was equipped with the Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS), the first instrument specifically designed to provide global measurements of sea surface salinity. This mission aimed to improve the understanding of the global water cycle, ocean circulation, and climate dynamics.
SMOS data has played a crucial role in revealing the patterns of salinity variation across the oceans, which influences both the density of seawater and large-scale processes like the thermohaline circulation. The satellite's mission has provided scientists with valuable information for tracking changes in climate, including ocean-atmosphere interactions, freshwater input, and evaporation rates.
Following SMOS, the Aquarius/SAC-D satellite, a collaboration between NASA and the Argentine space agency CONAE, was launched on June 10, 2011, further advancing the measurement of ocean salinity.
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