July 19-21, 2010
Seattle, WA USAIn July 2010, over 100 members of the international Aquarius/SAC-D Science Team community met in Seattle, WA. This was the 6th Science Team meeting and the last before the launch of the Aquarius/SAC-D satellite in June 2011. The meeting focused on the science team's preparations for launch, including the in-orbit checkout, data processing, calibration, validation and near-term data analysis, as well as near-term science applications.Agenda

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Patt, F. [19-July-10]. Presentation included information on: science data processing; Level-2 science software implementation; Level-2 data product format; data archive and distribution; Aquarius web site; and open issues (e.g., review and analysis of 2007 simulation products, agreement on ancillary data sets/sources and Level-2 parameters, etc.). deCharon, A. and Rabolli, M. [19-July-10]. Overview includes: development of key messages and outreach "themes"; coordination of media opportunities; creation of EPO products; and engagement of scientists to broaden the impact of the mission's goals. Ruf, C. [20-July-10]. Presentation includes a description of the Aquarius Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) flag algorithm, which is a "glitch detector" that identifies samples that deviate anomalously from the average of their neighbors. Examples of RFI from the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) Mission are also discussed. Wentz, F. and Meissner, T. [19-July-10]. Detailed information was shared about the Aquarius "forward model", a comprehensive and accurate computer simulation of Aquarius' operation on orbit. Also discussed was the "inverse model", an Aquarius simulator used to develop retrieval algorithms and verify instrument performance. Yueh, S., Fore, A., Freedman, A., and Chaubell, J. [19-July-10]. Detailed information about the Aquarius scatterometer, including: key requirements; technical approach; algorithm development status; plan for post-launch calibration/validation (cal/val); and remaining issues (e.g., development of operational simulator for Aquarius Data Processing System testing and analysis tools for cal/val). Gunn, J. [20-July-10]. Overview of the Aquarius Validation Data System (AVDS) whose objectives are to: collect appropriate in situ surface salinity data for comparison with Aquarius/SAC-D satellite surface salinity measurements; and make these data and associated match-ups available to the user community at large. Lagerloef, G. [19-July-10]. Overview of how mission simulator data informed the Aquarius/SAC-D mission design and sampling strategy. Information was shared about the following simulators: operational mission; Aquarius algorithm; standard deviation error; scatterometer; and "2007 science simulator". Torrusio, S., Caruso, D. and Sen, A. [19-July-10]. Overview includes: mission summary; key partners and centers; observatory design; updates since the previous science team meeting; and schedule and milestones leading up to Aquarius/SAC-D launch. Jackson, T. and Karszenbaum, H. [19-July-10]. Presentation included information on: passive, active, and combined microwave soil moisture algorithms; basis of passive microwave soil moisture algorithms; strategy for developing an Aquarius baseline soil moisture algorithm; validation; recent field campaigns (e.g., CanEx); and updates of related Aquarius/SAC-D projects. Lagerloef, G. [19-July-10]. Overview of the baseline orbit for the Aquarius/SAC-D satellite and factors that went into choosing it. Examples of nadir track lines and Aquarius beams' locations were shared for the western South Atlantic, Labrador Sea, several ocean mooring locations, and the SPURS study site (i.e., subtropical North Atlantic salt maximum). Le Vine, D. and Gallo, J. [20-July-10]. Presentations include: definition, objectives, requirements, and approach to cold sky calibration of the Aquarius radiometers; and overview, considerations, and assumptions of the cold sky calibration maneuvers for the Microwave Radiometer (MWR). Ramiondo, H. and Madero, F. [20-July-10]. Presentation includes: data collection system overview and characteristics; science data; ground segment overview; and products. Lagerloef, G. [20-July-10]. Detailed overview of three phases of the Aquarius/SAC-D error validation and orbit corrections process: pre-launch (e.g., generating a special set of seven-day cycles to use in the operational mission simulator); in-orbit checkout, IOC (e.g., Aquarius commissioning phase timeline and approach, critical events and science tasks, etc.); and IOC plus six months (e.g., evaluating match-up data between Aquarius and in situ observing data). Ramiondo, H. and Madero, F. [20-July-10]. Presentation includes: High Sensitivity Camera overview and characteristics; definition of products and processing levels; information about the data processor; science and supplementary data; radiometric and geometric corrections; and product formats. Gallo, J., Jones, L., Rocca, D., and Biswas, S. [20-July-10]. Overview of: pre-launch calibration, which will be checked in the laboratory using hot/cold loads and in the themo-vacuum chamber using absorbers; and post-launch calibration, which will be done using monthly cold sky maneuvers, along with "vicarious" and inter-satellite calibrations. Ramiondo, H. and Madero, F. [20-July-10]. Presentation includes: Microwave Radiometer (MWR) overview and characteristics; definition of products and processing levels; information about the data processor; simulation data; science and supplementary data; radiometric and geometric corrections; and cross calibration using Windsat. Masuelli, S., Tauro, C., and Jones, L. [19-July-10]. Presentation included information on the Microwave Radiometer (MWR), including: introduction to the MWR instrument; project plan (e.g., simulators, prototypes, schedule); surface retrievals; atmospheric retrievals; sea ice concentration and Level 2 algorithms. Marraco, H. [20-July-10]. Presentation includes general information about New Infrared Sensor Technology (NIRST), including: calibration setup; what is measured; system transfer function; active and reference pixels; integration with SAC-D; and geographic targets. Madero, F. and Ramiondo, H. [20-July-10]. Presentation includes: new Infrared Sensor Technology (NIRST) overview and characteristics; definition of products and processing levels; information about the data processor; science and supplementary data; radiometric and geometric corrections; and product formats. Kalemkarian, M. [20-July-10]. Presentation includes description of derived products and documentation for fire mapping/fire radiative power, sea surface temperature, land surface temperature, and volcanic activity monitoring data. In addition, the validation and quality control of these products is described. Lindstrom, E. [19-July-10]. Aquarius NASA Program Scientist provided an overview of: ocean salinity science team; salinity field program; NASA solicitations; and establishment of the Sea Surface Temperature Science Team. Suarez, M. [19-July-10]. Detailed information on the Aquarius/SAC-D science and orbit design requirements. In addition, information about post-launch activities (e.g., timeline of fairing separation, S- and X-band contacts, orbit maneuvers) was shared. Skou, N., Balling, J., and Kristensen, S. [20-July-10]. Conclusions include: RFI is generally present in areas investigated; RFI is very variable in time, and space; polarimetric signatures from SMOS satellite instrument looks like those from airborne campaign thus methods investigated using airborne data can be applied; and polarimetric "glitch detector" looks very promising. Bruno, L. [20-July-10]. Presentation include information on CONAE's User Segment Services (CUSS); relationship between SAC-D and CUSS, including services and interfaces; kinds of products and users; and opportunities and ways to acquire products from CUSS. Schmitt, R. [20-July-10]. Presentation includes the following information about the Salinity Processes in the Upper ocean Regional Study (SPURS): science rationale; proposed locations for SPURS sites; tools for the field program; and cruise dates (i.e., U.S. and international partners). Kerr, Y. [20-July-10]. Presentation gives an overview of the European Space Agency's SMOS mission, which was successfully launched in November 2009. In summary: SMOS provides very good data, earlier and better than expected; preliminary soil moisture retrievals are looking very good even though still in calibration/validation phase; and salinity maps are useful for Aquarius although radio frequency interference is an issue. Karszenbaum, H., Goniadzki, D., Salio, P., Goniadzki, D., Serafini, C., and Rivas-V.Venturini, R. [19-July-10]. Overviews of several projects including: La Plata Basin floods and droughts, contribution of microwave remote sensing in monitoring and prediction; flooding in the Del Plata Basin - Paraguay/Paraña wetlands corridor; soil moisture retrieval in Chaco Forest; development of techniques to detect and estimate deep moist convection; etc. Riser, S. [19-July-10]. Overview of salinity as an indicator of the ocean's role in the water cycle and as a variable in ocean circulation. Results from the Argo program, which has successfully mapped the distribution of salinity and its changes over the past 2-3 decades. Wentz, F. [21-July-10]. Working group report includes information on: development of test wind and rain algorithms using Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data; use of the Microwave Radiometer (MWR) for detecting rain and sea ice for Aquarius; estimation of 1.4 GHz absorption from MWR; schedule and work plans; and other areas of potential research. Chao, Y. [21-July-10]. Working group report includes information on ocean modeling and data analysis tasks during various phases of the Aquarius/SAC-D Mission: (1) pre-launch (i.e., to identify, assess and recommend a near-real-time data set to be used by the Aquarius simulator); (2) in-orbit checkout, IOC (e.g., Aquarius sea surface salinity weekly maps, merging Aquarius and in-water data, etc.); and (3) IOC plus six months (e.g., data analysis and model results from the oceanographic community). Schmitt, R. and Lindstrom, E. [21-July-10]. Working group report includes the following information on plans for the Salinity Processes in the Upper ocean Regional Study: oroposed and planned work; communication and coordination among Principal Investigators; proposed technological elements; and cruise and timing issues.