CYGNSS Level 1 Climate Data Record: Satellite Radar Cross Sections

A Climate Data Record containing geo-located Delay Doppler Maps calibrated into Power Received and Bistatic Radar Cross Section from the CYGNSS satellite constellation. The dataset includes other parameters like Normalized Bistatic Radar Cross Section, Delay Doppler Map Average, and Leading Edge Slope, along with quality flags and orbital data. Produced by NASA, it is derived from reanalysis with a latency of approximately 1 month.

Use Cases

• Analyzing ocean surface wind speeds based on calibrated bistatic radar cross section data.
• Monitoring tropical storm and hurricane conditions based on the increased data retrieval frequency mentioned.
• Studying long-term climate trends based on the improved calibration accuracy and stability of the Climate Data Record.
• Validating satellite instrument performance based on the included engineering and spacecraft health parameters.

Strengths

• Includes calibrated science products like Power Received and Bistatic Radar Cross Section.
• Provides up to 8 data files per day from a constellation of satellites.
• Calibration accuracy and long-term stability are improved relative to the source SDR data.

Limitations

• Latency is approximately 1 month, which may limit real-time applications.
• The trackwise correction algorithm cannot be applied to all source data, resulting in some loss of samples.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Reanalysis products derived from CYGNSS satellite constellation SDR data.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:25:02.457018; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage from satellite constellation.