Global Six-Hourly Ocean Wind Speeds From Multiple Satellite Sensors

Six-hourly global gridded wind speed and direction data at 0.125-degree horizontal resolution, harmonized from multiple satellite instruments. The dataset is produced by the NASA-funded MWOW Project for stakeholder assessment, with an initial bulk ingest in January 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal wind speed variability at specific grid points using the 6-hourly timesteps.
• Compare wind direction retrievals from different satellite instruments (scatterometers, radiometer, SAR) for validation studies.
• Model regional wind patterns by aggregating separate observations along the time dimension for a given 6-hour window.
• Assess spatial coverage and resolution of the harmonized wind product using the 0.125-degree global grid.

Strengths

• Global coverage at a high 0.125-degree horizontal grid resolution.
• Provides separate, non-aggregated observations from five distinct satellite instrument types per timestep.
• Data are considered science quality for assessment purposes.

Limitations

• Version 0.1 is an initial assessment product with no user guide and likely unrefined processing.
• Observations are not composited per timestep, requiring users to handle multiple data points for the same time window.
• Temporal coverage is limited, starting with a bulk ingest in January 2026.

Provenance

Source

MWOW (Multi-sensor Worldwide Ocean Winds) Project, funded by NASA's Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG).

Collection Method

Harmonized product combining retrievals from three scatterometers, one radiometer, and one synthetic aperture radar (SAR).

Time Range

Bulk ingest from January 2026 onward.

Freshness

Initial data from January 2026, with forward streaming planned later in the year.

Geography

Global ocean coverage.