The delayed mode data are made available for two different periods, before and after 2002/2003, having different quality control procedures and data format.

Reports or Publications using data from this web page should acknowledge the origin of the data. The suggested sentence is: "Sea surface salinity data derived from thermosalinograph instruments installed onboard voluntary observing ships were collected, validated, archived, and made freely available by the French Sea Surface Salinity Observation Service (http://www.legos.obs-mip.fr/observations/sss/)".

Copies of published works and comments to improve our products will be appreciated.

I. Delayed-mode data, after 2002/2003

* SSS observations collected north of 42°S. Download the validated SSS data.

* SSS observations collected south of 42°S. Click here.

II. Delayed-mode data, before 2002/2003

* The Tropical Oceans. Domain : 30°N-30°S, 1950-2003. Details about the data origin and validation procedures can be found in Delcroix et al. (Deep Sea. Res., 52/5, 787-813, 2005). Download the validated SSS data.

Figure 2. (left) Number of SSS observations per 5° longitude and 1° latitude, expressed in decimal logarithm scale, as obtained from surface samples, thermosalinographs on vessels and cruise-derived measurements during 1950-2003. (middle and right) Number of SSS observations per month. Note the different horizontal (1950-1990 and 1990-2003) and vertical (1.5 E4 and 1.5 E5) scales.

* The Southern Ocean. Click here.