An increasing amount of users uses scatterometer wind and stress data for climate studies. However, the stress-equivalent wind retrieval algorithms have been continuously improved over the years and the currently existing archives of near-real time data are not always suitable to fulfil the need for homogeneous data sets spanning a longer period of time. Currently only few validated vector wind and stress climate data sets are available. Therefore, the EUMETSAT OSI SAF plans to re-process the following off-line data sets: Metop-A ASCAT stress-equivalent wind vectors (U10S), ice probabilities, 2007-2015, data set to become available in 2015; QuikSCAT SeaWinds U10S, ice probabilities, 1999-2009, data set to become available in 2015; ERS-1 and ERS-2 U10S, 1991-2000, availability depending on the ESA SCIROCCO project to provide consistency between ERS and ASCAT backscatter records, data set to become available in 2016; Oceansat-2 OSCAT U10S, 2009 to 2014, data set to become available in 2016. The characteristics and data formats of the products will be the same as their NRT equivalents but the data sets will be processed with the newest algorithms and with fully calibrated input data. Both level 2 swath data and level 3 and level 4 gridded data will become available. Sea ice probabilities will also be produced as part of the Bayesian ice screening in the wind processing. Maximum product quality and stability will be guaranteed. The use of NWP Ocean Calibration ensures precise intercalibration between different instruments and provides consistent ocean backscatter that may be used in standard C and Ku-band stress-equivalent wind retrieval at KNMI. The products will be monitored and validated against collocated ECMWF ERA-Interim model U10S and in situ buoy U10S using automated procedures, including triple collocation analysis. The effect of instrument sampling errors on monthly climatologies is assessed and time-continuous scatterometer-enhanced ERA fields are put available.The qualities and application of these products will be discussed at the symposium. The EUMETSAT Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility (OSI SAF) produces near-real time scatterometer winds already since the beginning of its existence. Data from the European Remote Sensing satellites (ERS-1 and ERS-2 scatterometer), QuikSCAT (SeaWinds), Metop (ASCAT), Oceansat-2 (OSCAT) and RapidScat on the International Space Station have been or are produced. The OSI SAF scatterometer products provide superior comparison to both buoy and Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) data sets. Moreover, the wind processing software is freely available through the EUMETSAT NWP SAF

2016 European Space Agency (ESA) Living Planet Symposium, 9-13 May 2016, Prague, Czech Republic

Peer Reviewed