MetOp-A ASCAT Coastal Ocean Wind Vector Climate Data Record

MetOp-A ASCAT Level 2 12.5-km Ocean Surface Wind Vector Climate Data Record is a reprocessed coastal dataset from the Advanced Scatterometer on the MetOp-A satellite. It is produced by the EUMETSAT Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility (OSI SAF) via the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). The data provides wind vectors computed as close as ~15 km from coastlines using a spatial box filter on Sigma-0 retrievals.

Use Cases

• Model coastal wind energy potential based on the 12.5 km grid wind vector data.
• Analyze long-term coastal wind trends for climate studies based on the reprocessed climate data record.
• Validate operational weather models using the spatially averaged Sigma-0 retrievals near coastlines.
• Study ocean surface wind dynamics in coastal regions based on the enhanced retrieval algorithm.

Strengths

• Provides wind vectors computed as close as ~15 km from coastlines.
• Utilizes a historically reprocessed Level 2 climate data record for consistency.
• Data is provided in netCDF version 3 format, a standard for scientific data.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility (OSI SAF) via Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI).

Collection Method

Generated from reprocessed Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) Level 1B Sigma-0 retrievals using a spatial box filter and the CMOD7 geophysical model function.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:22:12.286565; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean coverage, with enhanced retrieval near coastlines.