Space and Earth Sciences News

ESA's SMOS water mission has taken another step forward by demonstrating that it will lead to a better understanding of ocean circulation. Using preliminary data, scientists can clearly see how surface currents affect the 'Amazon plume' in the open sea.The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission has been delivering observations of 'brightness temperature' to the science community since mid-July. As a measure of radiation emitted from Earth's surface, this information can be used to derive global maps of soil moisture every three days and maps of ocean salinity at least every 30 days.By consistently mapping soil moisture and ocean salinity, SMOS will advance our understanding of the exchange processes between Earth's surface and atmosphere ? the water cycle ? and help improve weather and climate models. In addition, these data will be of practical use for agriculture and water resource management.  Soil moisture and ocean salinity data products will be released later this month, but scientists are very