CYGNSS Level 2: Ocean Surface Heat Flux Data from Satellite Constellation

NASA's CYGNSS constellation, launched on 15 December 2016, provides frequent space-based measurements of ocean surface heat flux. The dataset offers parameters with 25x25 kilometer footprint resolution, derived from satellite wind speeds and ERA5 reanalysis data using the COARE 3.5 algorithm. It is available from 1 August 2018 to present with approximately one week latency.

Use Cases

• Modeling tropical cyclone intensity based on heat flux estimates from the inner core.
• Studying global ocean-atmosphere energy exchange based on latent and sensible heat flux parameters.
• Validating and improving numerical weather prediction models based on satellite-derived surface flux data.
• Analyzing climate variability based on time-tagged and geolocated ocean surface heat flux records.

Strengths

• Data is available from 1 August 2018 to present, providing a multi-year record.
• Uses the COARE 3.5 algorithm, verified with direct in situ measurements for wind speeds up to 25 m/s.
• Provides nearly gap-free Earth coverage with a mean revisit time of seven hours.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• CYGNSS does not provide air/sea temperature, humidity, surface pressure or density; these are obtained from ERA5 reanalysis.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) CYGNSS Science Team

Collection Method

Data collected by the Delay Doppler Mapping Instrument (DDMI) aboard the CYGNSS satellite constellation, processed with the COARE algorithm.

Time Range

1 August 2018 to present

Freshness

Updated with an approximate 1 week latency.

Geography

Global coverage, with an orbital inclination of approximately 35° from the equator.