Aquarius: Monthly Ocean Surface Wind Speed Maps from Satellite

Global ocean surface wind speed data is provided at a 1-degree spatial resolution, averaged monthly from descending satellite passes. The dataset is the official end-of-mission release (Version 5.0) from the AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite, a collaboration between NASA and Argentina's CONAE. It is derived from radiometer and scatterometer measurements at L-band frequencies to estimate wind speed.

Use Cases

• Modeling global wind patterns and climate dynamics based on monthly averaged wind speed data.
• Validating other satellite wind products based on the described L-band radiometer and scatterometer methodology.
• Studying ocean-atmosphere interactions for specific regions using the gridded, 1-degree resolution maps.
• Analyzing long-term trends in ocean surface winds using the official end-of-mission data release.

Strengths

• Represents the official final public data release (Version 5.0) from the AQUARIUS/SAC-D mission.
• Provides data at a consistent 1-degree spatial resolution across global oceans.
• Derived from a described multi-sensor system with three radiometers and a scatterometer for surface roughness correction.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and format specifics require manual inspection after download.
• Row count and exact file sizes are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale processing.
• Contains only data from descending satellite passes, which may introduce a temporal sampling bias.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the AQUARIUS instrument's three radiometers and a scatterometer onboard the AQUARIUS/SAC-D satellite.

Time Range

Monthly averages; specific temporal coverage is not stated in the provided input.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 14:43:16.991777; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean coverage, inferred from the description of gridded data and satellite swath.