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Full catalog/QUIKSCAT_ESDR_L2_WIND_STRESS_V1.1
QUIKSCAT_ESDR_L2_WIND_STRESS_V1.1·v1.1·dataset

Ocean surface wind speed and direction (QuikSCAT)

QuikSCAT Scatterometer Inter-Calibrated ESDR Level 2 Ocean Surface Equivalent Neutral Wind Vectors and Wind Stress Vectors Version 1.1
ocean NASA POCLOUD Level 2 netCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. Gives ocean-surface wind speed and direction, plus the drag the wind exerts on the sea surface, mapped along the satellite's path.

How it's made. Derived from the QuikScat scatterometer, which bounces radar off the sea surface to infer winds, and carefully matched to similar instruments so the record runs unbroken from 1999 to 2022.

How & where you'd use it. Supports weather forecasting, storm tracking, and studies of how winds drive ocean currents and exchange heat and energy with the atmosphere.

What's measured

OCEANS › OCEAN WINDS › SURFACE WINDS › Ocean Surface Wind VectorsOCEANS › OCEAN WINDS › WIND STRESSOCEANS › OCEAN WINDS › WIND VELOCITY/SPEED

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span1999-10-27 → 2009-11-22
  • Measured byQUIKSCAT (SEAWINDS)
  • Processing levelLevel 2
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • FormatsnetCDF-4
  • StatusCOMPLETE

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 ocean surface wind vectors (equivalent neutral and true 10m) and wind stress vectors derived from satellite-based scatterometer observations aboard QuikScat, representing the first science quality release of these data (post-provisional after v1.0) funded under the MEaAUREs program. This product from QuikScat has been intercalibrated with similar scatterometer measurements from instruments on the MetOp-A, MetOp-B, and ScatSat-1 satellites (all of which can be found on the MEaSUREs OSVW Project Page), and if used together create an unbroken record of winds from 1999 to 2022. The wind vector and stress retrievals are provided on a non-uniform grid within the swath (Level 2 (L2) products) at 12.5 km pixel resolution. Each L2 file corresponds to a specific orbital revolution number, which begins at the southernmost point of the ascending orbit. The thumbnail shows data for two orbits - using all orbits for a single day will provide global coverage. The dataset represents the first science quality release funded under the MEaSUREs (Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments) program. Version 1.1 provides a set of updates and improvements from version 1.0, including: 1) increased data coverage, 2) improved quality control, and 3) new global metadata attributes featuring revolution number, equator crossing longitude, and equator crossing time (UTC). The primary purpose of this release is for science evaluation by the NASA International Ocean Vector Winds Science Team (IOVWST).

Get the data

quikscat_esdr_l2_wind_stress_v1.1_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="QUIKSCAT_ESDR_L2_WIND_STRESS_V1.1",
    version="1.1",
    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.