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NSCAT
The following table provides key details and a summary for each dataset. Additional information is provided in written descriptions following the table. The names of the products in the table are linked to the written descriptions for easy navigation. These descriptions include contact information, sites from which the data is available (or e-mail contact with the people who will send the data), documentation, read routines, and references.
| Data Set | Spatial Coverage | Spatial Grid | Temporal Coverage | Temporal Grid | Data Fields | Non-NSCAT Input | Processing Technique |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Level 3 | Global (in swaths) |
0.5x0.5° | Sept. 15, 1996 - June 29, 1997 | Daily | u, v, w, variability statistics | None | Vector average within swaths |
| Cheng, Chao, and Liu Winds |
Global | 1x1° | Sept. 15, 1996 - June 29, 1997 | 2 Days | u, v | ECMWF Winds | Gaussian-weighted interpolation |
| COAPS/FSU Objectively Analyzed |
Indian Ocean 34.5S - 28.5N, 25.5E - 124.5E, Pacific Ocean, Global | 1x1° | Oct. 1, 1996 - June 25, 1997 | Daily | UW, VW, w | None | Variational method, with objectively determined weights |
| COAPS/FSU Temporal Averaged |
Global | 1x1° or 0.5x0.5° | Sept. 15, 1996 - June 29, 1997 | Daily | u, v | None | Centered, Temporally Weighted, Mean |
| COAPS/FSU Monthly Averaged |
Global | 0.5x0.5° | Oct. 1996 - June 1997 | Monthly | tx,ty | None | Monthly mean |
| Ifremer/Cersat Mean Surface Fields | Global | 1x1° | Aug. 5, 1991 - March 1, 1998 | Bi-Weekly and Bi-Monthly | u, v, tx,ty, wind div., wind curl | ERS-1/2 Winds | Objective interpolation with a minimum variance method |
| Kelly, Caruso, and Dickinson pseudostress maps | Tropical Pacific | 1x1° | Nov. 1, 1996 to June 26, 1997 | Daily | UW, VW | None | Objective average |
| J-OFURO 2 (K. Kutsuwada, Tokai University, Japan) |
Global | 1x1° | Aug. 1, 1999 - Present | Daily | u, v, w, tx, ty, |t| | None | Weighting Average Method |
| Milliff, Large, Morzel, Danabasoglu and Chin Blended Fields | Global | 0.5x0.5° | Aug. 1, 1996 - July 31, 1997 | 6 hours | u, v | ERS-2 winds and NCEP | wavelet based multiresolution analysis |
| Polito, Liu and Tang Correlation-based interpolation | Global | 0.5x0.5° | Sept. 15, 1996 - June 29, 1997 | daily | u, v, tx, ty, Div. of Stress, Ekman Pumping | None | correlation-based interpolation |
| Tang and Liu Objective Interpolation | Global | 0.5x0.5° | Sept. 15, 1996 - June 29, 1997 | 12 hours | u, v | ECMWF | Successive correction |
Definitions of Symbols
| Symbol | Definition | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| u | Zonal Component of Wind (Positive Eastward) | m/s |
| v | Meridional Component of Wind (Positive Northward) | m/s |
| UW | Zonal Component of Pseudostress (Positive Eastward) | m/s |
| VW | Meridional Component of Pseudostress (Positive Northward) | m/s |
| tx | Zonal Component of Wind Stress (Positive Eastward) | N/m^2 |
| ty | Meridional Component of Wind Stress (Positive Eastward) | N/m^2 |
| |t| | Magnitude of Scalar Averaged Wind Stress | N/m^2 |
Global, daily, vector averaged maps of NSCAT winds, derived from daily bins the Level 2 (50 km) wind vectors, on 0.5 degree by 0.5 degree grids. Winds are available only where there were observations. Reference height is 10m. A table describing this and other gridded products is at the top of this page.
- Deliverables:
Data - Daily gridded wind data
GIF Images - Daily images of wind vectors and streamlines
Read Software - FORTRAN, C and IDL
Documentation - NSCAT Science Product Guide - Where:
Anonymous FTP here - Contact:
PO.DAAC User's Services Office
Phone: 818-354-9890
Email: podaac@podaac.jpl.nasa.gov - Reference:
- JPL, 1998: NSCAT Science Data Product User's Manual, Version 1.2, JPL D-12985, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
Cheng, Chao, and Liu Global Gridded winds
Two-day average global wind fields produced by a Gaussian-weighted interpolation scheme using scatterometer winds, with ECMWF data as the initial fields. Spatial grid is one degree by one degree. Reference height is 10m. A table describing this and other gridded products is at the top of this page.
- Deliverables:
Data - Two-day averaged gridded wind data
Read Software - Fortran 77, IDL
Documentation - http://lochness.jpl.nasa.gov/nscatpaper.html - Where:
Available here - Contact:
Benny Cheng
Phone: 818-354-0731
Email: bnc@pacific.jpl.nasa.gov - Reference:
- B. Cheng, Y. Chao, and W. Timothy Liu, A Comparison between the NSCAT Scatterometer and ECMWF winds and their Oceanic Response over the North Atlantic, submitted - GRL.
COAPS/FSU Monthly Averaged Stresses
Global, monthly-averaged, vector mean kinematic stresses determined directly from backscatter, on 0.5 degree by 0.5 degree grids. Data fields are kinematic stress components. These fields have been updated with the results of the NSCAT-2 model function (version 4.3 NSCAT winds from JPL). A table describing this and other gridded products is at the top of this page.
- Deliverables:
Data - Daily gridded surface stress data
Read Software - FORTRAN, C and IDL
Documentation - Detailed information about Data is available at /nscat/ - Where:
Available here. Free read software for UNIX, Macs, and PCs is available from Unidata. Tools are available for converting NetCDF files - ASCII here. Additional information is available here. - Contact:
Mark A. Bourassa
Phone: 850-644-6923
Email: bourassa@coaps.fsu.edu - Reference:
- Verschell, M. A., M. A. Bourassa, D. E. Weissman, and J. J. O'Brien, 1998: Model Validation of the NASA Scatterometer Winds. J. Geophys. Res., in press.
COAPS/FSU Objectively Analyzed
Daily fields of pseudostress are produced using a variational approach (direct minimization) with tuning parameters objectively determined using Generalized Cross Validation (GCV). These products are on 1 degree x 1 degree grids. Data fields are pseudostress components. Reference height is 10m. A table describing this and other gridded products is at the top of this page.
- Deliverables:
Data - Daily gridded pseudo-stress data and images
Read Software - FORTRAN, C, IDL
Documentation - Detailed information about is available here (Indian Ocean product) and here (Global Oceans product). Images are also available here. Where:
COAPS NSCAT Gridded Data Download Area
Tools are available for converting NetCDF files - ASCII here. Free read software for UNIX, Macs, and PCs is available from Unidata. Additional information is available here - Contact:
Mark Bourassa
Phone: 850-644-6923
E-mail: bourassa@coaps.fsu.edu - Reference:
- Legler, D. M., M. A. Bourassa, A. D. Rao, and J. J. O'Brien, 1998: NSCAT Surface Wind Fields Using Optimally Tuned Direct Minimization Techniques. Papers from 9th Conference on Interaction of Sea and Atmosphere, Phoenix, AZ, American Meteorological Society, 32-35.
COAPS/FSU Temporal Averaged
Global, daily, centered, temporally weighted, vector mean values from successive 8-day periods using NSCAT winds only, on 1.0 degree by 1.0 degree grids. Data fields are wind components, scalar averaged wind speed, and pseudostress components. Reference height is 10m. These fields have been updated with the results of the NSCAT-2 model function (version 4.3 NSCAT winds from JPL). A table describing this and other gridded products is at the top of this page.
- Deliverables:
Data - Daily gridded wind data
MPEG Animations: Weekly movies of moving wind vectors, curl, and divergence
Read Software - FORTRAN, C and IDL
Documentation - Detailed information about Data is available here - Where:
- get the 1.0 degree data, go - anonymous FTP here and download wt_L20.tar.gz or go here. The 0.5 degree data is available through here.Free read software for UNIX, Macs, and PCs is available from Unidata. Tools are available for converting NetCDF files - ASCII here. Additional information is available at UCAR.
- Contact:
Mark A. Bourassa
Phone: 850-644-6923
Email: bourassa@coaps.fsu.edu - References:
- Bourassa, M. A. , M.. H. Freilich, D. M. Legler, W. T. Liu, and J. J. O'Brien, 1997: Wind observations from new satellite and research vessels agree. EOS Trans. of Amer. Geophys. Union, 597 & 602.
- Bourassa, M. A., M. H. Freilich, D. M. Legler, W. T. Liu, and J. J. O'Brien, 1997 : Wind observations from new satellite and research vessels agree. EOS, 597-602.
- Bourassa, M. A., D. M. Legler, C. Miranda V, J. J. O'Brien, J. N. Stricherz, K. Verzone, and J. Whalley, 1997: COAPS NSCAT surface wind animations. Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2840, CD-ROM.
- Bourassa, M. A., D. M. Legler, J. J. O'Brien, J. N. Stricherz, and J. Whalley, 1998: High temporal and spatial resolution animations of winds observed with the NASA scatterometer, 14th International conference on IIPS, Phoenix, AZ, American Meteorological Society, 556-559.
- Bourassa, M. A., L. Zamudio, and J. J. O'Brien, 1988: Non-inertial flow in NSCAT observations of Tehuantepec winds. J. Geophys. Res., in press.
IFREMER/CERSAT Mean surface wind field from the ERS-AMI and ADEOS-NSCAT microwave scatterometers
Weekly and monthly global wind fields produced using NSCAT, AMI (ERS-1 and ERS-2), QuikSCAT, and ASCAT scatterometer winds, objectively interpolated using a minimum variance method. Spatial grid is 1 degree by 1 degree. Reference height is 10m. A table describing this and other gridded products is at the top of this page.
- Deliverables:
Data - Bi-weekly and bi-monthly wind data, wind stress, wind divergence, and wind stress cur
Read Software - ansi C
Documentation - Here - Where:
Available here - Contact:
Department d'oceanographie Spatiale
IFREMER BP 70
FR 29280 PLOUZANE
FRANCE
Phone: 33-298-22-44-83
Email: fpaf@ifremer.fr
IFREMER Website - Reference:
- IFREMER/CERSAT, 1998: Mean Surface Wind Fields from the ERS-AMI and ADEOS-NSCAT Microwave Scatterometers, 91/08/05 - 98/03/01. A contribution - WOCE, a CD-ROM published for the WOCE conference, Halifax, Canada, May 1998.
Kelly, Caruso and Dickinson maps of Tropical Pacific pseudostress fields
Pseudostress maps were prepared by objectively averaging NSCAT data over the tropical Pacific Ocean. The daily maps are gridded - 1 degree, with resolutions of 5 days and 2 degrees. Reference height is 10m. A table describing this and other gridded products is at the top of this page.
- Deliverables:
Data - Daily gridded pseudostress maps (in monthly files) - Where - Get the Data -
Please contact suzanne@apl.washington.edu - Contact:
Suzanne Dickinson
Phone: 206-543-1380
Email: suzanne@apl.washington.edu - References:
- Kelly, K.A., S. Dickinson and Z.-J. Yu, NSCAT Tropical Wind Stress Maps: Implications for Improving Ocean Modeling, Accepted at JGR.
- Dickinson, S., S. Singh, K.A. Kelly, M. Spillane and M.J. McPhaden, 1998, Establishing a Mapping Methodology for NSCAT Winds, APL-UW Tech. Rept. #9801.
J-OFURO 2 (K. Kutsuwada, Tokai University, Japan)
Daily averaged wind and wind-stress vectors derived from weighted mean method of the level 2 (50 km) wind vectors, on 1.0 degree by 1.0 degree grids. Reference height is 10m. A table describing this and other gridded products is at the top of this page.
Products referred to as J-OFURO are available for any users, together with surface heat flux parameters at Japanese Ocean Flux Data sets with Use of Remote Sensing Observations.
- Deliverables:
Data - Daily gridded wind and wind-stress data (in monthly files)
Read Software - FORTRAN
Documentation - N/A - Where:
Japanese Ocean Flux Data sets with Use of Remote Sensing Observations - Contact:
Kunio Kutsuwada (Takahiro Kazama)
Phone: +81-54-334-0411 Ext. 3212
Fax: +81-54-336-1434
E-mail: kkutsu@scc.u-tokai.ac.jp or 8jogm003@scc.u-tokai.ac.jp - References:
- Kutsuwada, K., 1998: Impact of Wind/Wind-stress Field in the North Pacific constructed by ADEOS/NSCAT Data., J. Oceanogr., 54. (in press).
- Kutsuwada, K. and Y. Kuroda, 1998: Investigation of Surface Wind Variability in the Tropical Pacific Oceans using NSCAT and ERS-2 Data during 1997-1998 El Nino event, Proceedings of Quikscat Science meeting in Hawaii.
Milliff, Large, Morzel, Danabasoglu and Chin Blended NSCAT/ERS-2 and NCEP u, v data
Four times daily global wind fields produced using scatterometer winds, with NCEP data as the initial fields. Spatial grid is 0.5 degree by 0.5 degree. Reference height is 10m. A table describing this and other gridded products is at the top of this page.
- Deliverables:
Data - Four times daily blended NSCAT/ERS-2 wind vectors
Read Software - FORTRAN
Documentation - N/A - Where:
Available here - Contact:
Jan Morzel
Phone: 303-497-1342
Email: morzel@cgd.ucar.edu - References:
- Milliff, R. F., W. G. Large, J. Morzel, G. Danabasoglu, and T. M. Chin, 1998: Ocean general circulation model sensitivity - forcing from scatterometer winds, submitted.
- Chin, T.M., R.F. Milliff, and W.G. Large, 1998: Basin scale, high-wavenumber sea surface wind fields from a multiresolution analysis of scatterometer data. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 15, 741-763.
Polito, Liu and Tang Correlation-based interpolated NSCAT winds
Daily global wind fields produced by a correlation-based scheme using scatterometer winds. Spatial grid is 0.5 degree by 0.5 degree. Reference height is 10m. A table describing this and other gridded products is at the top of this page.
- Deliverables:
Data - Daily gridded wind data, stress, divergence of stress, and Ekman pumping
Read Software - IDL
Documentation - N/A - Where:
Please contact polito@io.usp.br - Contact:
Paulo Polito
Email: polito@io.usp.br - Reference:
- Paulo, P. S., W. T. Liu and W. Tang, 1997: Correlation-based interpolation of NSCAT wind data. NSCAT Science Working Team Meeting, Maui, Hawaii, Nov, 1997.
Tang and Liu Objectively Interpolated
Twice daily global wind fields produced by successive corrections using scatterometer winds, with NSCAT monthly averaged wind data as the initial fields. Spatial grid is 0.5 degree by 0.5 degree. The gridded products are wind components. Reference height is 10m. A table describing this and other gridded products is at the top of this page.
- Deliverables:
Data - Twice daily gridded wind data
Read Software - IDL
Documentation - N/A - Where:
Please visit here - Contact:
Wenqing Tang
Phone: 818-354-8199
Email: wqt@seanet.jpl.nasa.gov - Reference:
- Tang, W. and W. T. Liu, 1996: Objective interpolation of scatterometer winds. JP L publication 96-19. 16pp.
Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge the work of Carol Hsu in gathering much of the descriptive information about the gridded data sets.