QuikSCAT ESDR: Ancillary Ocean Surface Fields v1.1

NASA's QuikSCAT ESDR Level 2 Ancillary Ocean Surface Fields Version 1.1 provides modeled atmospheric and oceanic variables interpolated to the satellite's observation points. The dataset includes ocean surface wind fields from ERA-5, precipitation estimates from GPM IMERG, and surface currents from GlobCurrent, all at a nominal 12.5 km resolution. This release is intended for science evaluation by the NASA International Ocean Vector Winds Science Team (IOVWST).

Use Cases

• Validating scatterometer-derived wind stress measurements using co-located ERA-5 model wind fields.
• Analyzing relationships between precipitation events and ocean surface conditions using GPM IMERG data.
• Studying the combined effect of wind and surface currents on ocean dynamics using GlobCurrent estimations.
• Assessing global daily coverage of oceanographic variables by aggregating data from individual orbital revolutions.

Strengths

• Represents a 'first science quality release' funded under the NASA MEaAUREs program, indicating a validated standard.
• Version 1.1 includes specific improvements: enhanced variable metadata and provided DOIs for all external data sources (ERA-5, IMERG, GlobCurrent).
• Data is provided on a high-resolution non-uniform grid at the native QuikSCAT sampled locations (nominal 12.5 km).

Limitations

• Critical metadata conflicts exist: the 'last updated' date is 2026-04-09 on Data.gov but 2009-11-22 on NASA Earthdata, creating uncertainty about data freshness.
• Column names and exact row/size counts are not provided in any source, limiting understanding of the data structure.
• The primary purpose is for 'science evaluation,' suggesting it may not be a final, operational product.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Model output from ERA-5, GPM IMERG, and GlobCurrent projects, interpolated in space and time to the QuikSCAT satellite's ESDR product.

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:11:21.854990 (Data.gov); conflicting date: 2009-11-22 (NASA Earthdata).

Geography

Global ocean coverage, achieved by aggregating data from all orbital revolutions in a day.