2000 days of SMOS at the Barcelona Expert Centre: a tribute to the work of Jordi Font

• Published in: Scientia Marina
• Main Authors: Antonio Turiel, Maria Piles, Verónica González-Gambau, Joaquim Ballabrera-Poy, Carolina Gabarró, Justino Martinez, Estrella Olmedo, Marcos Portabella, Fernando Pérez, Jordi Solé
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas 2016
• Subjects: smos; salinity; ocean circulation; oceanography; soil moisture; sea ice; radiometry; remote sensing; Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling; SH1-691; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.04291.15A; https://doaj.org/article/5afc8efec65741de9c6d7140ecb61ba2

Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) is the first satellite mission capable of measuring sea surface salinity and soil moisture from space. Its novel instrument (the L-band radiometer MIRAS) has required the development of new algorithms to process SMOS data, a challenging task due to many processing issues and the difficulties inherent in a new technology. In the wake of SMOS, a new community of users has grown, requesting new products and applications, and extending the interest in this novel brand of satellite services. This paper reviews the role played by the Barcelona Expert Centre under the direction of Jordi Font, SMOS co-principal investigator. The main scientific activities and achievements and the future directions are discussed, highlighting the importance of the oceanographic applications of the mission.