Full catalog/SCATSAT1_ESDR_ANCILLARY_L2_V1.1
SCATSAT1_ESDR_ANCILLARY_L2_V1.1·v1.1·dataset

Extra ocean-surface data to support wind readings (SCATSat-1)

SCATSAT-1 ESDR Level 2 Ancillary Ocean Surface Fields Version 1.1
atmosphere NASA POCLOUD Level 2 netCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. Supporting background fields that accompany ocean-wind readings: surface wind, rainfall, and ocean currents, matched in time and place to the scatterometer's measurement spots at about 12.5 km spacing.

How it's made. Not measured directly by the satellite; instead drawn from weather forecasts (ERA-5), a rainfall product (GPM IMERG), and an ocean-current dataset, then lined up with SCATSat-1's observation points.

How & where you'd use it. A companion dataset that helps interpret and evaluate the SCATSat-1 ocean-wind product rather than something most people use on its own.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › ALTITUDE › PLANETARY BOUNDARY LAYER HEIGHTOCEANS › OCEAN WINDS › SURFACE WINDS › Ocean Surface Wind VectorsATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE › SURFACE TEMPERATUREOCEANS › OCEAN CIRCULATION › OCEAN CURRENTSOCEANS › OCEAN WINDS › WIND STRESSOCEANS › OCEAN TEMPERATURE › SEA SURFACE TEMPERATUREATMOSPHERE › PRECIPITATION › PRECIPITATION RATEATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE › SURFACE TEMPERATURE › AIR TEMPERATUREATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC WINDS › SURFACE WINDS › WIND DIRECTIONATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR › WATER VAPOR INDICATORS › HUMIDITY › RELATIVE HUMIDITY

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2018-04-01 → 2021-03-01
  • Measured byMODELS (Computer) · SCATSAT-1 (OSCAT-2)
  • Processing levelLevel 2
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • FormatsnetCDF-4
  • StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

  • Map air pollutants — NO₂, aerosols, ozone
  • Track greenhouse gases and Earth's energy budget
  • Feed weather and air-quality analysis
Official description

This dataset contains the first science quality release (post-provisional after v1.0) of the MEaSUREs-funded Earth Science Data Record (ESDR) of ancillary data corresponding to the SCATSAT-1 Level 2 (L2) data products, interpolated in space and time to the scatterometer observations. These auxiliary fields are included to complement those scatterometer observations, specifically for the SCATSAT_ESDR_L2_WIND_STRESS_V1.1 dataset. The fields include: i) ocean surface wind fields from ERA-5 short-term forecast (removed from the analyses times to reduce impacts from assimilated scatterometer retrievals at the beginning of the forecast); ii) collocated in space and time estimations of precipitation from the GPM IMERG product; iii) estimation of the surface currents from the GlobCurrent project. These auxiliary fields are included to complement the scatterometer observation fields and to help in the evaluation process. They are provided on a non-uniform grid within the native L2 SCATSAT-1 sampled locations at a nominal 12.5 km pixel resolution. Each file corresponds to a specific orbital revolution (rev) 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 of this product with funding from 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) improved variable metadata, 2) removed the GlobCurrent stokes drift variables, and 3) provided data source metadata including DOIs for the ERA-5, IMERGE, and GlobCurrent data sources. The primary purpose of this release is for science evaluation by the NASA International Ocean Vector Winds Science Team (IOVWST).

Get the data

scatsat1_esdr_ancillary_l2_v1.1_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="SCATSAT1_ESDR_ANCILLARY_L2_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.