RSS SSMIS Daily Ocean Grids: Winds, Vapor, Cloud, and Rain

Remote Sensing Systems generates this satellite dataset of daily global ocean surface parameters as part of NASA's MEaSUREs Program. It provides simultaneous retrievals of ocean wind speed, atmospheric water vapor, cloud liquid water, and rain rate using a unified algorithm refined over 20 years. The SSMIS data from the DMSP F17 satellite are intercalibrated with earlier SSM/I sensors to extend a consistent long-term time series.

Use Cases

• Analyzing global ocean surface wind speed patterns for climate studies.
• Tracking atmospheric water vapor and cloud liquid water content over oceans.
• Monitoring daily rain rates and precipitation events across oceanic regions.
• Validating numerical weather prediction and climate model outputs against satellite observations.
• Studying long-term trends in oceanic meteorological variables using the intercalibrated time series.

Strengths

• Data products are generated using a unified, physically based algorithm refined over 20 years.
• SSMIS data are intercalibrated with previous SSM/I sensors to ensure a consistent long-term time series.
• The dataset is produced under NASA's MEaSUREs Program, indicating a high standard of scientific curation.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and complete column details are unavailable from all sources.
• The listed future update date (2026-03-12) on Data.gov is likely an error or placeholder, conflicting with typical metadata practices.

Provenance

Source

Remote Sensing Systems, generated for NASA's MEaSUREs Program.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS) on the DMSP F17 spacecraft, with data processed and reformatted into netCDF by the Global Hydrology Resource Center.

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:53:08.395347

Geography

Global ocean coverage.