Font J. auteur aut IRD Camps A. auteur aut IRD Borges A. auteur aut IRD Martin-Neira M. auteur aut IRD Boutin J. auteur aut IRD Reul N. auteur aut IRD Kerr Yann auteur aut IRD Hahne A. auteur aut IRD Mecklenburg S. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity, European Space Agency, is the first satellite mission addressing the challenge of measuring sea surface salinity from space. It uses an L-band microwave interferometric radiometer with aperture synthesis (MIRAS) that generates brightness temperature images, from which both geophysical variables are computed. The retrieval of salinity requires very demanding performances of the instrument in terms of calibration and stability. This paper highlights the importance of ocean salinity for the Earth's water cycle and climate; provides a detailed description of the MIRAS instrument, its principles of operation, calibration, and image-reconstruction techniques; and presents the algorithmic approach implemented for the retrieval of salinity from MIRAS observations, as well as the expected accuracy of the obtained results. specialized Aperture synthesis imaging microwave radiometry remote sensing salinity 126 032 98 5 649-665 2010 0018-9219 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/PAR00005762 10.1109/jproc.2009.2033096 0018-9219 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/PAR00005762 IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2010-06-02 2017-08-23 PAR00005762 fre