SSMIS Satellite Ocean Data: Monthly Averages of Wind, Vapor, Cloud, and Rain

NASA's MEaSUREs Program provides monthly average ocean data from the DMSP F16 satellite's Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS). Remote Sensing Systems uses a unified algorithm refined over 20 years to simultaneously retrieve ocean wind speed, water vapor, cloud water, and rain rate. The Global Hydrology Resource Center reformats the binary data into netCDF products, with SSMIS data intercalibrated to extend the SSM/I time series.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in ocean surface wind speeds for climate modeling.
• Studying global atmospheric water vapor distribution and its role in weather systems.
• Investigating the relationship between cloud liquid water and precipitation rates over oceans.
• Validating and improving physical algorithms for retrieving multiple geophysical parameters from satellite brightness temperatures.
• Extending the multi-decadal time series of consistent oceanographic variables from SSM/I to SSMIS sensors.

Strengths

• Data is produced using a unified, physically-based algorithm refined and verified over a 20-year development period.
• SSMIS data is carefully intercalibrated to the brightness temperature level of the previous SSM/I, ensuring consistency for time-series analysis.
• The dataset is part of NASA's MEaSUREs Program, indicating a high level of curation and scientific review.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and detailed column names are not provided by any source, limiting precise technical assessment.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date: one platform lists a future date (2026-03-12), while others list none, casting doubt on metadata accuracy.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' on one platform and 'None' on another, requiring further investigation for use.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) MEaSUREs Program, generated by Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) and reformatted by the Global Hydrology Resource Center (GHRC).

Collection Method

Data retrieved from the DMSP F16 satellite's Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS) using a unified physical algorithm.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-03-12 22:21:30.094354

Geography

Global ocean coverage.