CYGNSS: Satellite Radar Cross-Section Data for Climate Monitoring

CYGNSS Level 1 Climate Data Record Version 1.2 contains calibrated Delay Doppler Maps from a constellation of satellites. The dataset includes up to 8 netCDF files per day, with a latency of approximately 1 week, and is produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Version 1.2 improves calibration accuracy and long-term stability through trackwise correction algorithms.

Use Cases

• Monitoring ocean surface wind speeds based on bistatic radar cross-section measurements.
• Analyzing tropical storm and hurricane intensity based on data retrieval frequency increases during such events.
• Studying long-term climate trends based on the calibrated, trackwise-corrected Normalized Bistatic Radar Cross Section (NBRCS).
• Calibrating satellite instrument performance based on engineering parameters and quality flags.
• Mapping geolocated ocean surface reflectivity based on Delay Doppler Map Average (DDMA) near specular reflection points.

Strengths

• Includes up to 8 data files per day from a satellite constellation.
• Calibration accuracy and long-term stability are improved relative to previous versions.
• Contains multiple calibrated science products including Power Received, Bistatic Radar Cross Section, Normalized Bistatic Radar Cross Section, and Leading Edge Slope.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The trackwise correction algorithm cannot be applied to all source data, resulting in some loss of samples.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Reanalysis products derived from SDR v3.1 Level 1 data.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:25:09.643783; freshness should be verified.