NSCAT: Daily Ocean Wind Vectors from Satellite Scatterometer

NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) Level 2 ocean wind vectors provide daily data from ascending and descending satellite passes. Wind vectors are accurate to within 2 m/s for speed and 20 degrees for direction, processed using the NSCAT-2 geophysical model function. This final calibrated version was produced by the JPL NSCAT Project in November 1998.

Use Cases

• Validate and improve numerical weather prediction models based on satellite-derived wind vector accuracy.
• Study ocean-atmosphere interaction processes based on daily, 50 km resolution wind vector cell data.
• Analyze wind patterns for maritime navigation and offshore operations based on surface wind data.
• Assimilate historical wind data into climate reanalysis projects based on the final calibrated 1998 dataset.

Strengths

• Wind vector accuracy is quantified at within 2 m/s for speed and 20 degrees for direction.
• Represents the final, calibrated version of the data processed by the JPL NSCAT Project.
• Data is flagged for missing, ambiguous, or land/sea ice contaminated measurements.

Limitations

• Wind vectors are not considered valid in rain-contaminated regions, and rain flags are not provided.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and spatial coverage details are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), JPL NSCAT Project

Collection Method

Satellite scatterometer measurements processed using the NSCAT-2 geophysical model function.

Time Range

Data from daily satellite passes; final calibration completed in November 1998.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:02:19.796762; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean coverage from satellite swaths.