Aquarius Satellite Monthly Ocean Wind Speed Data

Monthly ocean surface wind speed data derived from the Aquarius/SAC-D satellite mission using the Combined Active Passive algorithm version 5.0. The dataset provides gridded global measurements at 1-degree spatial resolution, produced by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in collaboration with the Argentinian Space Agency. This represents the fourth release of the CAP Level 3 product, incorporating improved geophysical models and sea surface temperature inputs.

Use Cases

• Validating and calibrating other satellite wind speed products using the CAP algorithm's dual-sensor (radiometer and scatterometer) retrieval method.
• Analyzing long-term trends in ocean surface wind patterns for climate studies using the monthly averaged data.
• Assimilating gridded wind speed data into ocean circulation and weather forecasting models.
• Studying the relationship between sea surface temperature (using CMC SST ancillary data) and wind speed stability at the air-sea interface.

Strengths

• Data is produced using a dual-instrument algorithm (CAP) that combines active scatterometer and passive radiometer measurements for retrieval.
• Provides a consistent global grid at 1-degree spatial resolution, suitable for large-scale analysis.
• Version 5.0 includes improved Geophysical Model Functions with 4th order harmonics and uses the Canadian Meteorological Center sea surface temperature product.

Limitations

• Conflicting last update dates: one source indicates 2015-06-01, another suggests 2026-03-13, casting doubt on data maintenance.
• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unknown across all sources.
• Spatial resolution is coarse (1 degree) compared to modern high-resolution satellite products.

Provenance

Source

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Argentinian Space Agency (CONAE) via the Aquarius/SAC-D satellite mission.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing using the Aquarius instrument's three radiometers and a scatterometer, processed with the Combined Active Passive algorithm.

Freshness

2015-06-01

Geography

Global ocean coverage with a 370 km cross-track swath from the satellite.