S-MODE Pre-Pilot: Ka-Band Ocean Backscatter Measurements from the ASIT Tower

Offshore of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, this dataset contains tower-based Ka-band ocean surface backscatter measurements collected from October 2019 to January 2020. It includes cross-section, incidence angle, radial velocity, and pulse-pair correlation data at sub-second resolution from multiple distances up to ~32 meters. The data were gathered by a Ka-Band Ocean Doppler Scatterometer (KaBODS) on the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Air-Sea Interaction Tower as a pre-pilot campaign for the Submesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment (S-MODE).

Use Cases

• Developing Ka-band backscatter models based on cross-section and incidence angle measurements.
• Studying backscattering mechanisms under varying wind, wave, and weather conditions using time-series data.
• Calibrating airborne Doppler scatterometers for the S-MODE project using tower-based radial velocity data.
• Deriving ocean surface vector winds from Ka-band backscatter and pulse-pair correlation data.

Strengths

• Provides high-resolution, sub-second measurements of ocean surface backscatter.
• Data collected over a three-month period from October 2019 to January 2020, capturing seasonal conditions.
• Measurements taken from a fixed tower at multiple distances and incidence angles, allowing for spatial analysis.

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are not specified in the provided metadata.
• Conflicting last-updated dates exist between platforms (2026-04-09 on Data.gov vs. 2020-01-15 on NASA Earthdata).
• The total size and row count of the dataset are unknown.

Provenance

Source

University of Massachusetts, Amherst (instrument builder); Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (tower facility); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (organization).

Collection Method

Tower-based measurements from a Ka-Band Ocean continuous wave Doppler Scatterometer (KaBODS) installed on the Air-Sea Interaction Tower.

Time Range

October 2019 to January 2020

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:23:25.172195

Geography

Offshore Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA (41°19.5′N, 70°34′W) in 15 m deep water.