QUIKSCAT Inter-Calibrated ESDR Level 2 Observed and Modeled Spatial Derivatives of Surface Wind and Wind Stress Version 1.0

This dataset contains the curl and divergence of ocean surface equivalent neutral wind and wind stress, 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 ASCAT, and ScatSat-1 satellites, all of which can be found on the MEaSUREs OSVW Project Page. These Level 2 data are provided on a non-uniform grid within the satellite swath 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 preview shows data for all orbits over a day (typically 14 orbits). Estimates for the curls and divergences are computed over several spatial domains with varying radii from the point of interest, and included as separate variables.

The dataset represents the first science quality release funded under the MEaSUREs (Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments) program. The primary purpose of this release is for science evaluation by the NASA International Ocean Vector Winds Science Team (IOVWST). This V1.0 of the data was derived from V1.1 of the L2 wind and stress product.