SCATSAT-1: Inter-Calibrated Ocean Surface Wind Vectors and Stress

Global ocean surface wind vectors and wind stress vectors are derived from the ScatSat-1 satellite scatterometer at a 12.5 km pixel resolution. This dataset, version 1.1, is intercalibrated with data from MetOp-A, MetOp-B, and QuikScat satellites, enabling a continuous wind record from 1999 to 2022. It represents the first science-quality release funded under NASA's MEaSUREs program for evaluation by the International Ocean Vector Winds Science Team.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in ocean surface winds based on the intercalibrated 1999-2022 record.
• Validating numerical weather prediction models using Level 2 wind vector and stress retrievals.
• Studying air-sea interaction processes with equivalent neutral and true 10m wind measurements.
• Creating global daily wind maps by compositing data from multiple orbital revolutions.

Strengths

• Provides an unbroken, intercalibrated record of ocean winds from 1999 to 2022, combining multiple satellite missions.
• Offers high-resolution (12.5 km) Level 2 wind vector and stress data on a non-uniform swath grid.
• Represents a science-quality release with improved coverage and quality control from version 1.0.

Limitations

• Column names and precise data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• The last update date conflicts between sources (2026-04 09 vs. 2021-03-01), creating uncertainty about data currency.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.

Provenance

Source

Satellite-based scatterometer observations from the ScatSat-1 mission, intercalibrated with MetOp-A, MetOp-B, and QuikScat data.

Collection Method

Derived retrievals of ocean surface wind vectors and wind stress vectors funded under NASA's MEaSUREs program.

Time Range

1999 to 2022

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:30:24.215968

Geography

Global ocean coverage