Aquarius Level 3: Satellite-Derived Ocean Surface Wind Speed Maps

Aquarius Level 3 ocean surface wind speed data provides gridded wind speed measurements at 1-degree spatial resolution. The data is averaged over daily, 7-day, monthly, and seasonal time scales and was collected by the AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite, a joint mission between NASA and Argentina's CONAE. This specific dataset is the mission cumulative descending wind speed product from version 5.0.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean-atmosphere heat and gas exchange based on gridded wind speed data.
• Analyzing seasonal wind patterns over the global ocean based on averaged time scales.
• Validating and calibrating other satellite or model wind products based on the multi-beam radiometer and scatterometer measurements.
• Studying surface roughness corrections for salinity estimation based on the included scatterometer backscatter data.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a dedicated satellite instrument with three radiometers and a scatterometer, providing multiple measurement angles.
• Spatial resolution is a consistent 1 degree, and data is provided at multiple temporal averages (daily to seasonal).
• The dataset represents the cumulative mission product, offering a long-term, processed view.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The cross-track swath is 370 km, which may limit complete daily global coverage.
• Row count and exact file sizes are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Collected by the Aquarius instrument's three radiometers and a scatterometer onboard the AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite.

Time Range

Covers the mission lifetime; specific dates are not provided in the description.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 14:42:35.959902; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean coverage within the instrument's 370 km cross-track swath.