OSCAT: Ocean Surface Wind Vectors from Oceansat-2 at 12.5km Resolution

OSCAT version 2 Level 2B data provides science-quality ocean surface wind vector retrievals at a 12.5 km pixel resolution, derived from the Indian Space Research Organization's Oceansat 2 satellite launched on 23 September 2009. The dataset is produced by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory using an improved geophysical model function (QSCAT12) and rain detection algorithm, offering accuracy comparable to the QuikSCAT version 3 product. Each file corresponds to a specific orbital revolution, with measurements composited from high-resolution slice data within the instrument's swath.

Use Cases

• Validating and calibrating numerical weather prediction models based on near-real-time ocean wind observations.
• Studying mesoscale wind variability and its impact on ocean circulation using the 12.5 km resolution wind vector cells.
• Detecting and flagging rain-contaminated wind retrievals for improved data quality in tropical cyclone analysis.
• Conducting long-term climate studies of ocean wind fields by comparing data with the QuikSCAT record.
• Assimilating wind vector data into reanalysis products for historical ocean surface condition reconstruction.

Strengths

• Provides a 12.5 km pixel resolution, achieved through a slice composite technique from higher-resolution L1B measurements.
• Incorporates an improved geophysical model function (QSCAT12) and rain flagging algorithm, consistent with the latest QuikSCAT reprocessing.
• Cross-platform availability on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov signals its importance and curated status for the scientific community.
• Dataset accuracy is expected to be similar to the well-established version 3 L2B QuikSCAT product, as documented in Jaruwatanadilok et al. (2014).

Limitations

• Column names and specific data schema are not provided in any source metadata, complicating initial data exploration.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (2014-02 20 and 2026-04-09), creating uncertainty about the dataset's maintenance status.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified', requiring users to seek out the specific terms.

Provenance

Source

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) QuikSCAT Project in cooperation with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Oceansat-2 scatterometer (OSCAT), a Ku-band dual pencil-beam rotating scatterometer.

Time Range

Coverage begins after the Oceansat-2 launch on 23 September 2009; specific end date not provided.

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:34:08.766184

Geography

Global ocean coverage within the instrument swath, which is nearly identical to the SeaWinds scatterometer.