The length and precision with which climate scientists can track the salinity, or saltiness, of the oceans is set to improve dramatically according to researchers working as part of ESA's Climate Change Initiative.

Sea-surface salinity plays an important role in thermohaline ocean circulation.

The research team, led by Jacqueline Boutin of LOCEAN and Nicolas Reul of Ifremer, have generated the longest and most precise satellite sea-surface salinity global dataset to date.

Spanning nine years, the dataset is based on observations from the three satellite missions that measure sea-surface salinity from space: ESA's SMOS and the US SMAP and Aquarius missions.

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