DMSP F10 Satellite Ocean Grids: 3-Day Averages of Winds and Vapor

A 3-day averaged satellite dataset from the DMSP F10 spacecraft, providing a time series of ocean surface wind speed, atmospheric water vapor, cloud liquid water, and rain rate. The data is produced by Remote Sensing Systems using a unified physical algorithm refined over 20 years and is part of NASA's MEaSUREs Program. It has been reformatted into netCDF by the Global Hydrology Resource Center.

Use Cases

• Analyzing spatial patterns of ocean surface winds for meteorological studies.
• Tracking atmospheric water vapor content and its transport over oceans.
• Investigating relationships between cloud liquid water, rain rate, and sea surface conditions.
• Extending and calibrating long-term satellite-based climate data records.

Strengths

• Data is intercalibrated to extend a consistent, multi-decadal time series of ocean parameters.
• Retrieval algorithm is the product of 20 years of refinements and verifications.
• Produced under NASA's MEaSUREs Program, indicating a methodical, long-term project.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and precise temporal coverage is unavailable across all sources.
• A conflict exists on the 'last updated' date: one source lists 1997-11-14, while another lists 2026-03 12.

Provenance

Source

Remote Sensing Systems (RSS), processed by NASA's Global Hydrology Resource Center.

Collection Method

Satellite microwave radiometer measurements from the DMSP F10 Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), processed with a unified physical retrieval algorithm.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-03-12 21:55:06.133884

Geography

Global ocean coverage.