Aquarius CAP V5.0: 7-Day Global Ocean Wind Speed

Global ocean wind speed data is derived from the Aquarius/SAC-D satellite using the Combined Active Passive algorithm. The dataset provides gridded 1-degree spatial resolution wind speed averaged over a 7-day running mean, based on measurements from onboard radiometers and a scatterometer. Version 5.0 incorporates improved Geophysical Model Functions and uses Canadian Meteorological Center sea surface temperature data.

Use Cases

• Analyzing global ocean wind patterns based on 7-day running mean averages.
• Studying air-sea interface stability effects using updated Geophysical Model Functions.
• Correcting surface roughness in salinity estimation using scatterometer backscatter data.
• Comparing satellite-derived wind speed with other meteorological models.
• Monitoring wind speed variability over weekly time scales for climate research.

Strengths

• Provides a 1-degree spatial resolution global grid, offering consistent coverage.
• Utilizes a combined active-passive algorithm from JPL, simultaneously retrieving salinity, wind speed, and direction.
• Version 5.0 includes specific improvements: 4th order harmonic GMFs and a switch to CMC SST data.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are unknown across all sources, limiting detailed structural understanding.
• There is a conflict in freshness: one source lists an update in 2026, while another lists 2015, suggesting potential metadata inconsistency.
• The dataset likely contains only wind speed, not the full CAP retrieval outputs like salinity or direction.

Provenance

Source

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), developed as a Principal Investigator-produced dataset for NASA and CONAE's Aquarius/SAC-D mission.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing using three radiometers at 1.413 GHz and a scatterometer at 1.26 GHz, with data processed via the CAP algorithm.

Freshness

2026-03-13 17:33:59.350637 (from datagov, conflicting with older nasa_earthdata date)

Geography

Global ocean coverage, with a total instrument cross-track swath of 370 km for radiometers and 390 km for the scatterometer.