Aquarius Level 3: Daily Ocean Surface Wind Speed Maps at 1-Degree Resolution

Aquarius Level 3 ocean surface wind speed standard mapped image data contains gridded 1-degree spatial resolution wind speed data averaged over daily time scales. This version 5.0 dataset is the official end-of-mission public data release from the NASA and CONAE AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite mission. The data is derived from three radiometers and a scatterometer measuring brightness temperature and ocean backscatter at L-band frequencies.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean-atmosphere heat and gas exchange based on daily wind speed maps.
• Validating numerical weather prediction models against satellite-observed wind fields.
• Studying wind-driven ocean circulation patterns based on gridded global data.
• Assimilating satellite wind observations into climate reanalysis products.

Strengths

• Official end-of-mission public data release (version 5.0), suggesting a finalized product.
• Provides data at a consistent 1-degree spatial resolution for global analysis.
• Derived from a dedicated satellite instrument with three radiometers and a scatterometer for measurement.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and total data volume are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE).

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the AQUARIUS/SAC-D mission's radiometers and scatterometer.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not explicitly stated in the provided metadata.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 14:43:07.809866; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Likely global ocean coverage, given the satellite's 370 km cross-track swath.