Find research datasets worth reusing

RapidScat Level 2B Climate Ocean Wind Vectors in 12.5km Footprints

This dataset contains the RapidScat Level 2B 12.5km Version 1.0 Climate quality ocean surface wind vectors. The Level 2B wind vectors are binned on a 12.5 km Wind Vector Cell (WVC) grid and processed using the using the "full aperture" normalized radar cross-section (NRCS, a.k.a. Sigma-0) from the L1B dataset. RapidScat is a Ku-band dual beam circular rotating scatterometer retaining much of the same hardware and functionality of QuikSCAT, with exception of the antenna sub-system and digital interface to the International Space Station (ISS) Columbus module, which is where RapidScat is mounted. The NASA mission is officially referred to as ISS-RapidScat. Unlike QuikSCAT, ISS-RapidScat is not in sun-synchronous orbit, and flies at roughly half the altitude with a low inclination angle that restricts data coverage to the tropics and mid-latitude regions; the extent of latitudinal coverage stretches from approximately 61 degrees North to 61 degrees South. Furthermore, there is no consistent local time of day retrieval. This dataset is provided in a netCDF-3 file format that follows the netCDF-4 classic model (i.e., generated by the netCDF-4 API) and made available via Direct Download and OPeNDAP. For data access, please click on the "Data Access" tab above. This climate quality data set differs from the nominal "slice" L2B dataset as follows: 1) it uses full antenna footprint measurements (~20-km) without subdividing by range (~7-km) and 2) the absolute calibration has been modified for the two different low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) mode data sets: LowSNR1 14 August 2015 to 18 September 2015; LowSNR2 6 October 2015 to 7 February 2016. The above enhancements allow this dataset to provide consistent calibration across all SNR states. Low SNR periods and other key quality control (QC) issues are tracked and kept up-to-date in PO.DAAC Drive at https://archive.podaac.earthdata.nasa.gov/podaac-ops-cumulus-docs/rapidscat/open/L1B/docs/revtime.csv. If you have any questions, please visit our user forums: https://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/forum/.

RapidScat Level 2B Ocean Wind Vectors in 12.5km Slice Composites Version 1.3

This dataset contains the RapidScat Level 2B 12.5km Version 1.3 science-quality ocean surface wind vectors, which are intended as a replacement and continuation of the Version 1.1 and 1.2 data forward from orbital revolution number 7873, corresponding to 11 February 2016; on 11 Feb 2016, RapidScat entered it's 3rd low signal to noise ratio (SNR) state and the initial calibration of low SNR 3 was preliminary during the Version 1.2 release. The fundamental difference between Version 1.3 and the previous Version 1.2 datasets is that the L1B sigma-0 has been re-calibrated during the periods of low SNR states 3 and 4 using re-pointed QuikSCAT data. The Version 1.1 should still be considered valid up to the first rev of version 1.2 (5127), and similarly version 1.2 shall be considered valid up to the first rev of version 1.3 (7873). The Level 2B wind vectors are binned on a 12.5 km Wind Vector Cell (WVC) grid and processed using the Level 2A Sigma-0 dataset. RapidScat is a Ku-band dual beam circular rotating scatterometer retaining much of the same hardware and functionality of QuikSCAT, with exception of the antenna sub-system and digital interface to the International Space Station (ISS) Columbus module, which is where RapidScat is mounted. The NASA mission is officially referred to as ISS-RapidScat. Unlike QuikSCAT, ISS-RapidScat is not in sun-synchronous orbit, and flies at roughly half the altitude with a low inclination angle that restricts data coverage to the tropics and mid-latitude regions; the extent of latitudinal coverage stretches from approximately 61 degrees North to 61 degrees South. Furthermore, there is no consistent local time of day retrieval. This dataset is provided in a netCDF-3 file format that follows the netCDF-4 classic model (i.e., generated by the netCDF-4 API) and made available via FTP and OPeNDAP. For data access, please click on the "Data Access" tab above. It is advised for users to avoid using the "wind_obj" variable in this dataset since it is minimally applicable and meant primarily for quality assurance; for users who wish to access the objective function values for each ambiguity, it is suggested to use only the "ambiguity_obj" variable. The "wind_obj" variable contains DIRTH probabilities (which are derived form the "ambiguity_obj" objective function values) in the range of 0 to 1 indicating the conditional probability that the true direction is within + or - 2.5 degrees of the retrieved wind direction given the observed backscatter measurements in the cell. If you have any questions or concerns, please visit our Forum at https://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/forum/.

RapidScat Level 2B Ocean Wind Vectors in 12.5km Slice Composites Version 1.1

This dataset contains the RapidScat Level 2B 12.5km Version 1.1 science-quality ocean surface wind vectors. The Level 2B wind vectors are binned on a 12.5 km Wind Vector Cell (WVC) grid and processed using the Level 2A Sigma-0 dataset. RapidScat is a Ku-band dual beam circular rotating scatterometer retaining much of the same hardware and functionality of QuikSCAT, with exception of the antenna sub-system and digital interface to the International Space Station (ISS) Columbus module, which is where RapidScat is mounted. The NASA mission is officially referred to as ISS-RapidScat. Unlike QuikSCAT, ISS-RapidScat is not in sun-synchronous orbit, and flies at roughly half the altitude with a low inclination angle that restricts data coverage to the tropics and mid-latitude regions; the extent of latitudinal coverage stretches from approximately 61 degrees North to 61 degrees South. Furthermore, there is no consistent local time of day retrieval. This dataset is provided in a netCDF-3 file format that follows the netCDF-4 classic model (i.e., generated by the netCDF-4 API) and made available via FTP and OPeNDAP. For data access, please click on the "Data Access" tab above. This Version 1.1 dataset differs from the previous Version 1 dataset as follows: 1) A new neural network approach for high wind speeds provided rain corrections for the "retrieve_wind_speed" variable for wind speeds in excess of 15 m/s. 2) The data variables containing the number of measurements of each type for each wind vector cell have been corrected; these variables include "number_in_aft", "number_in_fore", "number_out_aft", and "number_out_fore". 3) The "wind_obj" data variable has been corrected to include the proper data for the conditional probability for the objective DIRTH function values. It is advised for users to avoid using the "wind_obj" variable in this dataset since it is minimally applicable and meant primarily for quality assurance; for users who wish to access the objective function values for each ambiguity, it is suggested to use only the "ambiguity_obj" variable. The "wind_obj" variable contains DIRTH probabilities (which are derived form the "ambiguity_obj" objective function values) in the range of 0 to 1 indicating the conditional probability that the true direction is within + or - 2.5 degrees of the retrieved wind direction given the observed backscatter measurements in the cell. If you have any questions, please contact podaac@podaac.jpl.nasa.gov

RapidScat Level 2B Ocean Wind Vectors in 12.5km Slice Composites Version 1.2

This dataset contains the RapidScat Level 2B 12.5km Version 1.2 science-quality ocean surface wind vectors, which are intended as a replacement and continuation of the Version 1.1 data forward from orbital revolution number 5127, corresponding to 19 August 2015; the overlapping time period starting on 19 August 2015 corresponds to the first time period of the recorded low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The Level 2B wind vectors are binned on a 12.5 km Wind Vector Cell (WVC) grid and processed using the Level 2A Sigma-0 dataset. RapidScat is a Ku-band dual beam circular rotating scatterometer retaining much of the same hardware and functionality of QuikSCAT, with exception of the antenna sub-system and digital interface to the International Space Station (ISS) Columbus module, which is where RapidScat is mounted. The NASA mission is officially referred to as ISS-RapidScat. Unlike QuikSCAT, ISS-RapidScat is not in sun-synchronous orbit, and flies at roughly half the altitude with a low inclination angle that restricts data coverage to the tropics and mid-latitude regions; the extent of latitudinal coverage stretches from approximately 61 degrees North to 61 degrees South. Furthermore, there is no consistent local time of day retrieval. This dataset is provided in a netCDF-3 file format that follows the netCDF-4 classic model (i.e., generated by the netCDF-4 API) and made available via FTP and OPeNDAP. For data access, please click on the "Data Access" tab above. This Version 1.2 dataset differs from the previous Version 1.1 dataset as follows: 1) L1B sigma-0 has been re-calibrated during the periods of low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and 2) during low SNR periods the L1B sigma-0 calibration is determined using re-pointed L1B QuikSCAT data. It is advised for users to avoid using the "wind_obj" variable in this dataset since it is minimally applicable and meant primarily for quality assurance; for users who wish to access the objective function values for each ambiguity, it is suggested to use only the "ambiguity_obj" variable. The "wind_obj" variable contains DIRTH probabilities (which are derived form the "ambiguity_obj" objective function values) in the range of 0 to 1 indicating the conditional probability that the true direction is within + or - 2.5 degrees of the retrieved wind direction given the observed backscatter measurements in the cell. If you have any questions or concerns, please visit our Forum at https://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/forum/.

RapidScat Level 2B Climate Ocean Wind Vectors in 12.5km Footprints Version 2.0

This dataset contains the RapidScat Level 2B 12.5km Version 2.0 Climate quality ocean surface wind vectors. The Level 2B wind vectors are binned on a 12.5 km Wind Vector Cell (WVC) grid and processed using the using the "full aperture" normalized radar cross-section (NRCS, a.k.a. Sigma-0) from the L1B dataset. RapidScat is a Ku-band dual beam circular rotating scatterometer retaining much of the same hardware and functionality of QuikSCAT, with exception of the antenna sub-system and digital interface to the International Space Station (ISS) Columbus module, which is where RapidScat is mounted. The NASA mission is officially referred to as ISS-RapidScat. Unlike QuikSCAT, ISS-RapidScat is not in sun-synchronous orbit, and flies at roughly half the altitude with a low inclination angle that restricts data coverage to the tropics and mid-latitude regions; the extent of latitudinal coverage stretches from approximately 61 degrees North to 61 degrees South. Furthermore, there is no consistent local time of day retrieval. The new version has two important improvements over the previous version 1.0. First, an SST-dependent GMF developed by Lucrezia Ricciardulli of Remote Sensing Systems is used in wind retrieval in order to fix persistent speed biases in Ku-band data over cold ocean. Second, flagging is simplified and extra flags are provided. All the previously existing flags are still there and still reflect the same meaning and purpose. A new single bit wind_retrieval_likely_corrupted_flag specifies the approximately 3% of the data which is known to have suboptimal performance due to rain, ice, or a few other rare anomalous cases. Another bit wind_retrieval_possibly_corrupted_flag specifies the approximately 15% of the data near rain, near ice, or near the coast, that is thought to be high quality but may not match up well with numerical wind models due to either remaining rain/ice/land contamination or variability in the winds near ice, rain, and coasts that are not reflected in the NWPs. In addition to these two new bits, copious quality information is provided in the data to allow users to tailor flags to meet their own needs. There is also an added a global attribute called rev_status that specifies whether the RapidScat Instrument was in the original (highest data quality) high SNR mode, or one of the four low SNR time periods, the latter of which indicates the accuracy of winds below 5 m/s is degraded. This attribute also serves to identify MARGINAL orbits in which there are large gaps in the data record due to suboptimal spacecraft attitude. Other than gaps in the data, the accuracy of the winds in the MARGINAL orbits are similar to other orbits. This dataset is provided in netCDF-4 format and made available via FTP and OPeNDAP. For data access, please click on the "Data Access" tab above.

QuikSCAT Level 2B Ocean Wind Vectors in 12.5km Slice Composites Version 4.1

This dataset contains the latest reprocessed version 4.1 of the Level 2B science-quality ocean surface wind vector retrievals from the QuikSCAT scatterometer. The retrievals are provided on a non-uniform grid within the swath at 12.5 km pixel resolution. Higher resolution is achieved through a slice composite technique in which high resolution slice measurements from L1B data are composited into a 12.5 km wind vector cell. Each L2B file corresponds to a specific orbital revolution (rev) number, which begins at the southernmost point of the ascending orbit. This is an official dataset produced by the NASA QuikSCAT Project through the SeaWinds Processing and Analysis Center (SeaPAC). Version 4.1 processing begins with the same L1B (time-ordered backscatter) data as used in the previous Version 4.0 processing. This new version has a number of key improvements and changes over the previous version 4.0, including: 1) winds are now retrieved to within 5-km and 10-km of the coast within oceans/seas and lakes respectively; 2) coastal winds are now flagged as poor coastal quality and likely corrupted in orbits with estimated spacecraft pitch error greater than 0.04 degrees, which affects 150 orbits of data where coastal winds are severely contaminated by land due to poor attitude knowledge (note: attitude error tracking can identify pitch error but not yaw error, so when estimated pitch error is far from zero, it implies yaw error is large and uncorrected); 3) coastal winds are flagged based upon the long term mean wind speed and standard deviation of wind speed for each place on the ground; 4) four quantities, means and standard deviations computed with and without the land contamination correction algorithm applied (note: higher mean and smaller standard deviation are evidence of land contamination), are used to estimate the expected wind speed bias with respect to neighboring wind vector cells over open water; 5) wind vector cells with estimated speed bias greater than 0.4 m/s are flagged as poor coastal quality and likely corrupted; 6) winds within 5-km of the coast of an ocean/sea and 10-km of the coast of a lake are flagged as poor coastal quality and likely corrupted; the larger distance threshold for lakes is due to higher variability in lake water levels.

NSCAT Level 2 Ocean Wind Vector Ambiguity Removal Overlay (Hoffman, AER)

This dataset contains the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) Level 2 ocean wind vector ambiguity overlay files for the NSCAT MGDR version 2 dataset, referenced for 25 km wind vector cells (WVC). The dataset is derived from the results of a study which used a 2-D variational analysis method (VAM) to select a wind solution from the NSCAT ambiguous winds (Hoffman et al. 2003). Hoffman et al. chose the ambiguity closest in direction to the VAM surface wind analysis. No ambiguity was chosen for poor quality wind vector cells (WVCs). ECMWF analyses were used as the background field for the VAM. Their choice of ambiguity selection is compared with that of JPL, which used a median filter initialized with NCEP analysis fields. Ambiguity selection is changed in ~5% of the dataset, often improving the depiction of meteorological features where the surface wind is strongly curved or sheared. See Hoffman et al. (2003) for more on the method and results. Additional work by Henderson et al. (2003) compares the results of median filtering (JPL) vs. the 2d-VAR method (Hoffman et al., 2003) using 51 days of NSCAT data, supplemented by the NCEP 1000 hPa wind analyses as background fields.

NSCAT High Resolution R-MGDR, Selected Ocean Wind Vectors (JPL)

The NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) Level 2.5 high-resolution reduced MGDR contains only wind vector data (sigma-0 is excluded) in 25 km wind vector cell (WVC) swaths which contain daily data from ascending and descending passes. Wind vectors are accurate to within 2 m/s (vector speed) and 20 degrees (vector direction). Wind vectors are not considered valid in rain contaminated regions; rain flags and precipitation information are not provided. Data is flagged where measurements are either missing or ambiguous. In the presence of land or sea ice winds values are set to 0. Wind vectors are processed using the NSCAT-2 geophysical model function.

SEASAT SCATTEROMETER DEALIASED OCEAN WIND VECTORS (Wentz et al.)

Contains Seasat-A Scatterometer (SASS) wind vector measurements for the entire Seasat mission, from July 1978 until October 1978. The data are global and presented chronologically in by swath. Each record contains data binned in 100 km cells. No wind vectors are computed for the cells along the left and right edges of the swath. Wind direction ambiguities are resolved using a global weather prediction model. This complete dataset is the result of the reprocessing efforts on behalf of Frank Wentz, Robert Atlas, and Michael Freilich.

MetOp-B ASCAT Scatterometer Inter-Calibrated ESDR Level 2 Ocean Surface Equivalent Neutral Wind Vectors and Wind Stress Vectors Version 1.1

This dataset contains ocean surface wind vectors (equivalent neutral and true 10m) and wind stress vectors derived from satellite-based scatterometer observations (the MetOp-B ASCAT scatterometer), representing the first science quality release of these data (post-provisional after v1.0) funded under the MEaAUREs program. This product from MetOp-B ASCAT has been intercalibrated with similar scatterometer measurements from instruments on the MetOp-A, ScatSat-1, and QuikScat 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).

MetOp-B ASCAT Scatterometer Inter-Calibrated ESDR Level 3 Ocean Surface Equivalent Neutral Wind Vectors and Wind Stress Version 1.0

This dataset contains gridded ocean surface wind vectors (equivalent neutral and true 10m) and wind stress vectors derived from satellite-based scatterometer observations (the MetOp-B ASCAT scatterometer), representing the first science quality release of these data funded under the MEaSUREs program. This product from MetOp-B ASCAT has been intercalibrated with similar scatterometer measurements from instruments on the MetOp-A, ScatSat-1, and QuikScat satellites, all of which can be found on the MEaSUREs OSVW Project Page. The wind vector and stress retrievals are provided on a global grid (one per file) at 12.5 km pixel resolution, but data exist only over areas of the globe that fell within one of the satellite swaths/orbits for that day (see thumbnail). The dataset represents the first science quality release funded under the MEaSUREs (Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments) program. Note that this is the first version of the Level 3 data (V1.0) but they were derived from V1.1 of the Level 2 product. The primary purpose of this release is for science evaluation by the NASA International Ocean Vector Winds Science Team (IOVWST).

MetOp-A ASCAT Scatterometer Inter-Calibrated ESDR Level 3 Ocean Surface Equivalent Neutral Wind Vectors and Wind Stress Version 1.0

This dataset contains gridded ocean surface wind vectors (equivalent neutral and true 10m) and wind stress vectors derived from satellite-based scatterometer observations (the MetOp-A ASCAT scatterometer), representing the first science quality release of these data funded under the MEaSUREs program. This product from MetOp-A ASCAT has been intercalibrated with similar scatterometer measurements from instruments on the MetOp-B, ScatSat-1, and QuikScat satellites, all of which can be found on the MEaSUREs OSVW Project Page. The wind vector and stress retrievals are provided on a global grid (one per file) at 12.5 km pixel resolution. Data exist only over areas of the globe that fell within one of the satellite swaths/orbits for that day (see thumbnail). The dataset represents the first science quality release funded under the MEaSUREs (Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments) program. Note that this is the first version of the Level 3 data (V1.0) but they were derived from V1.1 of the Level 2 product. The primary purpose of this release is for science evaluation by the NASA International Ocean Vector Winds Science Team (IOVWST).

SEASAT SCATTEROMETER DEALIASED OCEAN WIND VECTORS (JPL-UCLA-AES)

Contains dealiased ocean wind vector components (zonal and meridional) derived from the Seasat-A Scatterometer (SASS) provided on a global 1x1 degree grid. Dealiasing of the SASS data was achieved manually using ship observations in a joint effort between JPL, UCLA and AES. This data set underwent restoration in 1997. Data are provided in ASCII text files at six hour intervals.

Oceansat-2 Scatterometer Level 2B Ocean Wind Vectors in 12.5km Slice Composites Version 2

This dataset consists of the version 2 Level 2B science-quality ocean surface wind vector retrievals from the Oceansat-2 scatterometer (OSCAT), which was designed and launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) 23 September 2009. This Level 2B dataset is produced by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) QuikSCAT Project in cooperation with ISRO. The retrievals are provided on a non-uniform grid within the swath at 12.5 km pixel resolution. This resolution is achieved through a slice composite technique in which high resolution slice measurements from L1B data are composited into a 12.5 km wind vector cell. This newest version contains an improved geophysical model function (GMF), known as QSCAT12, consistent with the Remote Sensing Systems Ku2011 GMF, and an improved rain detection and flagging algorithm; these algorithms are consistent with the latest reprocessed version 3 QuikSCAT L2B dataset. Each L2B file corresponds to a specific orbital revolution (rev) number, which begins at the southernmost point of the ascending orbit. As a Ku-band dual pencil-beam rotating scatterometer, OSCAT design specs bear a strong resemblence of the Ku-band SeaWinds scatterometers on QuikSCAT and Midori-II (ADEOS-II). The primary difference between OSCAT and SeaWinds is the ~4 degree increase in the OSCAT incidence angle, which acts as an offset to the relatively lower altitude of Oceansat-2 to help provide a nearly identical swath width to SeaWinds. In the early phase of cal/val, the JPL QuikSCAT Project identified several problems, most of which have been corrected in this latest L2B version. This dataset release is expected to have an accuracy similar to that of the version 3 L2B QuikSCAT product, with minor caveats, all of which are described by Jaruwatanadilok et al. (2014) and summarized in the User Guide document which is made available in PO.DAAC Drive at https://podaac-tools.jpl.nasa.gov/drive/files/allData/oceansat2/L2B/oscat/jpl/docs/ . Read software is made available in MATLAB, Python, R, and IDL and is accessible in PO.DAAC Drive at https://podaac-tools.jpl.nasa.gov/drive/files/allData/oceansat2/L2B/oscat/jpl/sw/ .

QuikSCAT Level 2B Ocean Wind Vectors in 12.5km Slice Composites Version 3.1

This dataset contains the latest reprocessed version 3.1 of the Level 2B science-quality ocean surface wind vector retrievals from the QuikSCAT scatterometer. The retrievals are provided on a non-uniform grid within the swath at 12.5 km pixel resolution. Higher resolution is achieved through a slice composite technique in which high resolution slice measurements from L1B data are composited into a 12.5 km wind vector cell. Version 3.1 processing begins with the same L1B (time-ordered backscatter) data as used in the previous Version 3.0 processing. Version 3.1 improves upon the previous Version 3.0 processing by incorporating enhanced coastal processing using a Land Contamination Ratio (LCR) method with a fixed threshold. The 12.5 km binning resolution combined with the LCR processing enables this dataset to provide wind vector retrievals with approximately half the coastal gap as compared to the Version 3.0 12.5 km L2B dataset. The geophysical model function used to produce the wind vector cell retrievals remains unchanged between Version 3.0 and 3.1. Each L2B file corresponds to a specific orbital revolution (rev) number, which begins at the southernmost point of the ascending orbit. This is the official dataset produced by the NASA QuikSCAT Project through the SeaWinds Processing and Analysis Center (SeaPAC). More details to the processing changes and improvements are to be published in the near future, but for now can be referenced by the following presentation: https://mdc.coaps.fsu.edu/scatterometry/meeting/docs/2016/Thu_AM/coastal-poster.pdf .

QuikSCAT Scatterometer Inter-Calibrated ESDR Level 3 Ocean Surface Equivalent Neutral Wind Vectors and Wind Stress Version 1.0

This dataset contains gridded 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 funded under the MEaSUREs program. This product from QuikScat has been intercalibrated with similar scatterometer measurements from instruments on the MetOp-A, MetOp-B, and ScatSat-1, all of which can be found on the MEaSUREs OSVW Project Page. The wind vector and stress retrievals are provided on a global grid (one per file) at 12.5 km pixel resolution, but data exist only over areas of the globe that fell within one of the satellite swaths/orbits for that day (see thumbnail). The dataset represents the first science quality release funded under the MEaSUREs (Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments) program. Note that this is the first version of the Level 3 data (V1.0) but they were derived from V1.1 of the Level 2 product. The primary purpose of this release is for science evaluation by the NASA International Ocean Vector Winds Science Team (IOVWST).

MetOp-A ASCAT Level 2 25-km Ocean Surface Wind Vector Climate Data Record

This dataset represents the first historically reprocessed Level 2 ocean surface wind vector climate data record from the Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) on MetOp-A sampled on a 25 km grid. Products at 25-km sampling are less noisy than 12.5-km products, but also contain less geophysical information on small scales and near the coasts. The wind vector retrievals are currently processed using the CMOD7 geophysical model function using a Hamming filter to spatially average the Level 1 Sigma-0 data over 25 km swath grid cells. Each file corresponds to one complete orbit and is provided in netCDF version 3 format. The beginning of the orbit files is defined near the South Pole. ASCAT is a C-band fan beam radar scatterometer, providing two independent swaths of backscatter retrievals, aboard the MetOp-A platform in sun-synchronous polar orbit. It is a product of the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility (OSI SAF) provided through the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). For more information on the MetOp mission, please visit: https://www.eumetsat.int/our-satellites/metop-series . For access to more contemporaneous and near-real-time MetOp-A ASCAT 25-km data, please visit: https://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset/ASCATA-L2-25km. For more timely announcements, users are encouraged to register with the KNMI scatterometer email list: scat@knmi.nl. All intellectual property rights of the OSI SAF products belong to EUMETSAT. The use of these products is granted to every interested user, free of charge. If you wish to use these products, EUMETSAT's copyright credit must be shown by displaying the words "copyright (year) EUMETSAT" on each of the products used. Use cases and feedback on the products will be much appreciated and in fact helps to sustain the reprocessing capability.