A 5-DAY WORKSHOP IS PLANNED TO ADDRESS THE TOPIC OF GLOBAL OCEAN SALINITY AND THE WATER CYCLE. THE MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR MAY 22-26 2017 AT THE WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION. THERE ARE SEVERAL SCIENTIFIC MOTIVATIONS FOR CONVENING THIS WORKSHOP: 1. THE COMPLETION OF THE AQUARIUS SALINITY SATELLITE MISSION. 2. THE ONGOING SALINITY PROCESSES UPPER-OCEAN REGIONAL STUDIES (SPURS) FILED PROGRAMS IN BOTH HIGH SALINITY EVAPORATION REGIMES AND LOW SALINITY RAINFALL REGIMES. 3. THE POTENTIAL OF THE SMAP SATELLITE TO REVEAL BOTH SOIL MOISTURE AND OCEAN SALINITY RESPONSES TO THE WATER CYCLE. 4. THE NEWLY DISCOVERED UTILITY OF OCEAN SALINITY VARIATIONS FOR PREDICTING TERRESTRIAL RAINFALL. 5. EXPANDING INTEREST IN OCEAN SALINITY WITH BOTH SATELLITE AND IN-SITU INSTRUMENTATION. THIS MEETING BUILDS ON A SERIES OF SALINITY FOCUSED MEETINGS DATING BACK TO THE US CLIVAR SALINITY WORKING GROUP MEETING IN WOODS HOLE IN MAY OF 2006 AND MORE RECENTLY IN HAMBURG GERMANY IN NOVEMBER 2015. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE WORKSHOP IS TO FURTHER ENABLE OCEAN SALINITY SCIENCE. SALINITY STRONGLY AFFECTS UPPER-OCEAN STRATIFICATION AND MIXING AND IS THUS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF OCEAN DYNAMICS. IN ADDITION IT IS A DIRECT INDICATOR OF THE ATMOSPHERE-OCEAN EXCHANGE OF WATER AND THUS HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE GLOBAL WATER CYCLE. THE MEETING IS EXPECTED TO CHART A WAY FORWARD FOR CONTINUED SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS IN BOTH REMOTE AND IN-SITU OBSERVATIONS OF OCEAN SALINITY AND THE APPLICATIONS OF THE DATA TO IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF OCEAN PHYSICS AND THE GLOBAL WATER CYCLE. SIDE SESSIONS OF THE MEETING WILL BE FOCUSED ON THE SPURS PROJECT AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS FOR REMOTE SENSING OF SALINITY. A MEETING SUMMARY WILL BE PREPARED FOR THE BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY OR EOS OF THE AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION.