MetOp-B ASCAT Ancillary Ocean Surface Fields Version 1.1

NASA's MEaSUREs program funded the first science quality release of ancillary ocean surface fields interpolated to ASCAT-B satellite observations. Model variables include ERA-5 wind fields, GPM IMERG precipitation, and GlobCurrent surface currents on a non-uniform grid at 12.5 km resolution. Version 1.1 provides cleaned ancillary data, improved metadata, and data source DOIs for science evaluation by the International Ocean Vector Winds Science Team.

Use Cases

• Analyze ocean surface wind patterns based on ERA-5 forecast wind fields.
• Study precipitation impacts on ocean surface conditions based on GPM IMERG estimations.
• Model ocean circulation and surface currents based on GlobCurrent project data.
• Validate scatterometer wind retrievals using collocated ancillary model fields.

Strengths

• First science quality release funded under the NASA MEaSUREs program.
• Includes three key model variables: ERA-5 winds, GPM IMERG precipitation, and GlobCurrent currents.
• Version 1.1 provides cleaned ancillary data points and data source DOIs.
• Data is provided at a nominal 12.5 km pixel resolution.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect temporal and spatial bias inherent to the satellite's orbital sampling.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Model output interpolated in space and time to satellite observations.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:47:50.380982; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage from satellite orbits.