Ocean Surface Winds from Space - A Collaborative Education Effort
Abstract
Ocean surface winds play a significant role in the global ocean-atmosphere system. Surface winds drive the worlds ocean currents, transport atmospheric heat and moisture, force nutrient rich upwelling areas, create surface waves and swell, and can reach destructive force in both extratropical and tropical cyclones. Although the oceans cover 70% of the Earth's surface, the network of ocean wind observations obtained from conventional buoys and ships is very sparse. The measurement of ocean surface winds using remote sensing technologies is the only means of obtaining wind information over large portions of the global ocean in a timely manner. The Ocean Surface Vector Winds Team (OSVWT) of the Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division (SOCD) within the NOAA/NESDIS/Center for Satellite Applications and Research (StAR) has been producing satellite-derived ocean surface wind data since the mid 1990s. Wind products from several remotely sensed sources such as QuikSCAT and WindSat are available in near real time (NRT) on the Internet and are also distributed within NOAA. These wind products are used by operational forecasters, scientific researchers and the marine community.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA493582
Entities
People
- Joan M. Von Ahn
- Joseph M. Sienkiewicz
- Michael J. Brennan
- Zorana Jelenak