MetOp-A ASCAT: Inter-Calibrated Ocean Wind Vectors and Stress, 1999-2022

NASA's MEaSUREs program produced this first science-quality release of ocean surface wind and stress vectors from the MetOp-A ASCAT scatterometer. Data from 1999 to 2022 is intercalibrated with three other satellite instruments, creating an unbroken 23-year record. Wind retrievals are provided at 12.5 km resolution on a non-uniform swath grid for each orbital revolution.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in ocean surface winds based on the intercalibrated 1999-2022 record.
• Modeling air-sea interactions and momentum transfer based on wind stress vector data.
• Validating numerical weather prediction and climate models based on satellite-derived equivalent neutral wind vectors.
• Studying regional wind patterns and variability based on the 12.5 km resolution swath data.

Strengths

• Represents a first science-quality release funded under the NASA MEaSUREs program.
• Intercalibrated with three other satellite scatterometers (MetOp-B, ScatSat-1, QuikScat).
• Provides an unbroken record of ocean winds from 1999 to 2022.
• Version 1.1 includes increased data coverage and improved quality control from v1.0.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is provided on a non-uniform grid within the swath, which may require specialized handling.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Derived from satellite-based scatterometer observations (MetOp-A ASCAT).

Time Range

1999 to 2022

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:22:37.697213; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean coverage