How Did Scientists Improve the Aquarius Satellite Signal?
President
Earth and Space Research
Earth and Space Research
Dr. Lagerloef completed a Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography at the University of Washington in 1984. In 1995, he co-founded Earth and Space Research, a non-profit scientific research institute in Seattle where he has developed several research projects devoted to studies of the upper ocean dynamics and climate variability using satellites.
Webinar Clip
Dr. Lagerloef, Principal Investigator for NASA's Aquarius satellite mission to measure global ocean salinity from space, explains the goals of the mission. In this clip, Dr. Lagerloef discusses how scientists were able to increase the accuracy of the Aquarius satellite through adequate sampling and broader spatial coverage.Full webinar: How Do We Cover the Globe With Aquarius Data?
Click here for a transcript of this clip (PDF, 40.7 KB). |
Resources
Applicable Science Standards
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations. Scientists and engineers plan and carry out investigations in the field or laboratory, working collaboratively as well as individually. Their investigations are systematic and require clarifying what counts as data and identifying variables or parameters.
Analyzing and Interpreting Data. Scientific investigations produce data that must be analyzed in order to derive meaning. Because data patterns and trends are not always obvious, scientists use a range of tools - including tabulation, graphical interpretation, visualization, and statistical analysis - to identify the significant features and patterns in the data. Scientists identify sources of error in the investigations and calculate the degree of certainty in the results. Modern technology makes the collection of large data sets much easier, providing secondary sources for analysis.