CYGNSS Level 2 Climate Data Record: Daily Ocean Wind Speed and Surface Roughness

Version 1.1 of the CYGNSS Level 2 Climate Data Record provides daily, geolocated average wind speed and mean square slope measurements at 25x25 kilometer resolution. NASA's CYGNSS satellite constellation collects this data using a Delay Doppler Mapping Instrument, with a processing latency of approximately 1 to 2 months. The record is a reanalysis product derived from SDR v3.0 Level 1 data, featuring improved calibration accuracy and long-term stability through a trackwise correction algorithm.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean surface wind patterns based on daily average wind speed measurements.
• Analyzing sea surface roughness for wave studies based on mean square slope (MSS) data.
• Studying long-term climate trends using a calibrated and stable reanalysis data record.
• Investigating fully developed sea state conditions using trackwise-corrected wind speed retrievals.

Strengths

• Provides daily data files with measurements from up to 8 unique CYGNSS spacecraft.
• Offers 25x25 kilometer resolution for wind speed and mean square slope.
• Features improved calibration accuracy and long-term stability relative to the SDR v3.0 baseline.

Limitations

• The trackwise correction algorithm cannot be applied to all SDR v3.0 L1 data, resulting in some loss of samples.
• The dataset does not include a Young Seas with Limited Fetch (YSLF) wind speed product, making it unsuitable for measurements in the inner core of tropical cyclones.
• Row count and total sample size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from Delay Doppler Mapping Instrument aboard the CYGNSS satellite constellation.

Freshness

Last updated metadata date is 2026-03-13; data latency is approximately 1 to 2 months from measurement.

Geography

Global ocean coverage, determined by specular points corresponding to Delay Doppler Maps.