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Full catalog/CYGNSS_L3_V2.1
CYGNSS_L3_V2.1·v2.1·dataset

Ocean wind and surface conditions from GPS reflections (CYGNSS)

CYGNSS Level 3 Science Data Record Version 2.1
ocean NASA POCLOUD Level 3 active netCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. Average ocean surface wind speed and a measure of sea-surface roughness, mapped onto a roughly 20-kilometer grid.

How it's made. Derived from GPS signals reflecting off the ocean and picked up by the CYGNSS satellite constellation, with daily files averaged up from lower-level measurements.

How & where you'd use it. Supports studying ocean winds and storms, including tropical cyclones, with this version adding better wind estimates in calmer, sheltered sea conditions.

What's measured

OCEANS › OCEAN WINDS › SURFACE WINDS › OCEAN SURFACE WIND SPEEDOCEANS › OCEAN WINDS › SURFACE WINDS

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2017-03-18 → ongoing
  • Measured byCYGNSS (DDMI)
  • Processing levelLevel 3
  • Spatial extent-180, -40, 180, 40
  • FormatsnetCDF-4
  • StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

  • Watch sea-surface temperature and marine heatwaves
  • Spot algal blooms and ocean-colour shifts
  • Support fisheries and coastal monitoring
Official description

This dataset contains the Version 2.1 CYGNSS Level 3 Science Data Record which provides the average wind speed and mean square slope (MSS) on a 0.2x0.2 degree latitude by longitude equirectangular grid obtained from the Delay Doppler Mapping Instrument aboard the CYGNSS satellite constellation. The Level 2 Delay Doppler Map (DDM) data are used in the direct processing of the average wind speed and MSS data that are binned on the Level 3 grid. A subset of DDM data used in the direct processing of the average wind speed and MSS is co-located inside of the Level 2 data files. A single netCDF-4 data file is produced for each day of operation with an approximate 6 day latency. This version supersedes Version 2.0. The reported sample locations are determined by the specular points corresponding to the Delay Doppler Maps (DDMs). The Version 2.1 release represents the second science-quality release. Here is a summary of improvements that reflect the quality of the Version 2.1 data release: 1) first time availability of wind speeds using the Geophysical Model Function (GMF) calibrated for Young Seas with Limited Fetch (YSLF) conditions; 2) inherits all other improvements made to the version 2.1 Level 2 data intended to improve the quality of the wind speed retrievals and uncertainty estimates. For a full list of improvements to the version 2.1 Level 2 data, please refer to the following dataset information page: https://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset/CYGNSS_L2_V2.1

Get the data

cygnss_l3_v2.1_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="CYGNSS_L3_V2.1",
    version="2.1",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from POCLOUD
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.