SO_SLICE : Southern Ocean Sea Level anomalies, including the ICE-covered regions (2003-2021)

Sea Level Anomaly and Geostrophic Currents in the Subpolar Southern Ocean (2003-2021)

This observational product provides Sea Level Anomaly (SLA) and geostrophic currents for the subpolar Southern Ocean, including ice-covered regions, from 2003 to 2021. The dataset integrates satellite altimetry from Envisat, CryoSat-2, SARAL/AltiKa, and Sentinel-3A missions.

Methodology:Physical signals in ice-covered regions are retrieved by reprocessing waveforms from leads in sea ice. These measurements are combined with open-ocean observations through an optimal interpolation mapping scheme to produce continuous SLA fields across the Southern Ocean.

Product Components:

SLA: Referenced to the 2003-2021 mean field

Absolute Dynamic Topography (ADT): Computed as SLA + MDT using CNES/CLS Mean Dynamic Topography

Geostrophic currents: Derived from ADT (u: eastward velocity, v: northward velocity)

Formal error: Uncertainty estimates from the mapping scheme

For large-scale circulation studies, a smoother MDT is available at: https://data.dtu.dk/articles/dataset/The_DTU_2022_Mean_Dynamic_Topography_models/26947894

Reference:Mosneron Dupin et al., "Reconstructing Sea Level Anomalies in the open and ice-covered Southern Ocean from 2003 to 2021" [submitted].

Files:

Filename
Grid
Temporal Resolution
Period

sla_25km_1M_share_compressed.nc
EASE2 25km
Monthly
2003-01-01 to 2021-12-31

sla_25km_1D_share_compressed.nc
EASE2 25km
Daily
2003-01-01 to 2021-12-31

sla_25km_1deg_1M_share.nc
1° lat/lon
Monthly
2003-01-01 to 2021-12-31

sla_25km_025deg_1M_share_compressed.nc
0.25° lat/lon
Monthly
2003-01-01 to 2021-12-31

geostrophic_currents_25km_1M_share_compressed.nc
EASE2 25km
Monthly
2003-01-01 to 2021-12-31

formal_error_25km_1M_share_compressed.nc
EASE2 25km
Monthly
2003-01-01 to 2021-12-31

Version Changes:

Geostrophic currents now computed on unsmoothed SLA fields, yielding higher velocity values

File sizes reduced via compression north of 50°S

Added SLA fields on regular lat/lon grids