Gulf of Tehuantepec Gap Wind and Upwelling Events Climatology

Satellite-derived climatology identifies gap wind and coastal upwelling events in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico. The dataset spans 14 years from 1998 to 2011, produced by a NASA MEaSUREs-funded project using an automated algorithm on microwave satellite data. It leverages CCMP ocean surface wind and OISST sea surface temperature products.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the frequency and timing of gap wind events using wind speed and direction data.
• Studying the relationship between wind forcing and sea surface temperature cooling indicative of upwelling.
• Creating climatological baselines for extreme wind events in the Gulf of Tehuantepec.
• Investigating interannual variability in coastal upwelling events over a 14-year period.
• Validating regional climate or ocean circulation models against satellite-derived event catalogs.

Strengths

• Data is derived from established, cross-calibrated satellite products (CCMP and OISST).
• Covers a 14-year time range (1998-2011), providing a multi-year climatological perspective.
• Events are identified using an automated, consistent algorithm, ensuring methodological reproducibility.
• Cross-platform presence (NASA Earthdata and Data.gov) signals its importance and curation.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date (2026-03 12 vs. 2011-12-31), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.
• The license is ambiguously noted as 'other-license-specified' or 'None', requiring further investigation for use.

Provenance

Source

NASA MEaSUREs-funded DISCOVER project, distributed by GHRC DAAC.

Collection Method

Automated intelligent algorithm applied to satellite-based microwave datasets (CCMP winds and OISST sea surface temperatures).

Time Range

1998-01-01 to 2011-12-31

Freshness

2026-03-12 22:31:24.751936

Geography

Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico