A multiyear global surface wind velocity dataset using SSM/I wind observations
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (United States)
- Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (United States); and others
The Special Sensor Microwave Imagers (SSM/I) aboard three DMSP satellites have improved a large dataset of surface wind speeds over the global oceans from July 1987 to the present. These data are characterized by high resolution, coverage, and accuracy, but their application has been limited by the lack of directional information. In an effort to extend the applicability of these data , methodology has been developed to assign directions to the SSM/I wind speeds and to produce analyses using these data. Following extensive testing, this methodology has been used to generate a seven and one-half year dataset (from July 1987 through December 1994) of global SSM/I wind vectors. These data are currently being used in a variety of atmospheric and oceanic applications and are available to interested investigators. Recent results presented in this paper show the accuracy of the SSM/I wind velocities, the ability of these data to improve surface wind analyses, and the propagation of a synoptic-scale convergent cortex in the Tropics that can be tracked from year to year in annual mean SSM/I wind fields. 11 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 258895
- Journal Information:
- Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Journal Name: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 77; ISSN 0003-0007; ISSN BAMIAT
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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