CYGNSS Level 3 MRG V3.2.1, MRG NRT V3.2.1, and Daily Watermask V3.2 Datasets Released

The Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) released Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) data products from the CYGNSS science team including the Level 3 merged (MRG) V3.2.1 dataset, the Level 3 MRG Near Real-Time (NRT) V3.2.1 dataset, and the daily watermask v3.2 dataset from UC Berkeley. The datasets are provided in netCDF-4 format and extend from August 1, 2018, to the present, and additional descriptions of the data products are documented below.

CYGNSS Level 3 MRG Science Data Record Version 3.2.1

This dataset combines the L2 Fully Developed Seas (FDS) and Young Seas Limited Fetch (YSLF) winds and eliminates the need to choose between them depending on sea state development and the proximity to storms. The data are provided in netCDF-4 format and extend from August 1, 2018, to the present, with an approximate 6 day latency. A tapered weighted averaging scheme is used centered on the 25 m/s wind radius of the storm. The 34 knot wind radius (R34) algorithm has been updated for v3.2.1 release to center around the National Hurricane Center (NHC) or the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) instead of the CYGNSS Vmax location. The algorithm produces global (+/- 40 deg latitude) wind speeds reported on a 0.1x0.1 deg grid every 6 hours for each tropical cyclone, although some 6-hourly increments may be missing if there are an insufficient number of satellite overpasses of the storm during that time interval.

CYGNSS Level 3 MRG Science Data Record Near Real-Time Version 3.2.1

This dataset combines the L2 FDS and YSLF winds and eliminates the need to choose between them depending on sea state development and the proximity to storms. The data are provided in netCDF-4 format and starts from June 1, 2024, through the present, with an approximate latency between 2 and 24 hours. A tapered weighted averaging scheme is used centered on the 25 m/s wind radius of the storm. The 34 knot wind radius (R34) algorithm has been updated for v3.2.1 release to center around the NHC/JTWC reported storm center instead of the CYGNSS Vmax location. The algorithm produces global (+/- 40 deg latitude) wind speeds reported on a 0.1x0.1 deg grid every 6 hours for each tropical cyclone, although some 6-hourly increments may be missing if there are an insufficient number of satellite overpasses of the storm during that time interval. The netCDF files are output on a storm-by-storm basis.

UC Berkeley CYGNSS Level 3 Daily RWAWC Watermask Version 3.2

This dataset was developed by CYGNSS investigators in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. It is derived from version 3.2 of the CYGNSS L1 SDR dataset and provides daily binary inland surface water classification data at a 0.01-degree (~1x1 kilometer) resolution with an approximate 6-day latency. This product, known as the UC Berkeley Random Walk Algorithm WaterMask from CYGNSS (Berkeley-RWAWC), generates water classification for a given location based on CYGNSS observations combined with a random walker algorithm. The watermask variable includes binary values indicating land (0), surface water (1), and no data/ocean (-99). View an animation derived from the UC Berkeley CYGNSS Level 3 Daily RWAWC Watermask Version 3.2 dataset.

The CYGNSS datasets and documents are accessible via the dataset landing page. Users are recommended to download the data using the podaac-data-subscriber. We also encourage users to visit the PO.DAAC Cloud Cookbook for detailed information about how to access the data from NASA Earthdata Cloud.

Summary of Temporal and Spatial Resolution

Please contact PO.DAAC or visit PO.DAAC on Earthdata Forum with any questions.