Estimation of salinity profiles in the upper ocean

A new algorithm is presented for estimating salinity profiles in the upper ocean from measurements of temperature profiles and surface salinity. In ap plication to the eastern tropical Pacific the method replicates a large fra ction of the variability of salinity in the upper few tens of meters and pr ovides modest to substantial improvement at nearly all levels. Estimated sa linity profiles are able to characterize barrier layers, regions formed by a halocline within the thermal mixed layer. The rms error of geopotential h eight calculations based on estimated salinity profiles is reduced more tha n 50% by this method relative to methods not using surface salinity. Even w ithout the surface salinity measurement some reduction of error in geopoten tial heights can be obtained relative to previous methods.