Background
Observations of ocean surface winds are vital for marine navigation, for predicting hurricanes and other oceanic storms, and for scientific analysis and modeling of the ocean-atmosphere interface. They are also of increasing importance for offshore wind energy applications. The Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG) 2022 assessment found that providing gridded, harmonized wind measurements near the ocean surface would support the needs of several agencies.
This solution will enable a new harmonized wind retrieval product suite combining wind retrievals from a variety of different instruments to generate gridded wind speed data every 6 hours:
- Satellite-based scatterometers: Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT)-B/C, Scatterometer for Oceansat-3 (OCSAT-3)
- Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments: Sentinel-1, RADARSAT-2, NASA-Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 (ALOS-4), Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT), commercial SARs
- Passive microwave radiometers: Compact Ocean Wind Vector Radiometer (COWVR), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imagery (GMI), Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounders (SSMISs), Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) 2/3
Status: In Development
This solution is currently in development. Four preliminary Version 0 datasets were released in January 2026 for stakeholder feedback, including 1/8 and 1/64 degree resolutions for the nominal (5-sensor) and expanded input (7-sensor) formats. Operational Version 1 data is expected to be available in late 2027.
Solution Characteristics
| Products | MWOW, Version 0 | MWOW, Version 1 | MWOW, Version 2 | MWOW, Version 3 | MWOW, Version 3S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Description | Example product for agency feedback (limited access) | Re-gridded data from sensors with existing wind products | Re-gridded/cross-calibrated data from sensor with existing wind products | Re-gridded/cross-calibrated data from sensor with existing wind products | Wind stress and wind derivative products |
| Platforms |
| ||||
| Input Sources | 2-3 scatterometers and 1 SAR | 3 scatterometers, 3 or more radiometers, 1 or more SARs | 3 scatterometers, 4 or more radiometers, 4 or more SARs | 3 scatterometers, 5 or more radiometers, 4 or more SARs | MWOW, Version 3 |
| Output Variables | Wind speed, wind direction, wind stress magnitude and direction, derivatives of wind velocity and wind stress | ||||
| Processing Level | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Temporal Coverage | January 2023 - August 2027 | January 2023 - August 2029 | January 2023 - May 2030 | January 2023 - May 2030 | January 2023 - May 2030 |
| Temporal Frequency | 6 hours | 6 hours | 6 hours | 6 hours | 6 hours |
| Latency | Complete product ~2 days | Quick product: ~6 hours Complete product: ~2 days | Quick product: ~6 hours Complete product: ~2 days | Quick product: ~6 hours Complete product: ~2 days | Quick product: ~6 hours Complete product: ~2 days |
| Spatial Coverage | Global | Global | Global | Global | Global |
| Spatial Resolution | 1/8 degree (14 km) for scatterometer/radiometer winds 1/64 degree (2 km) for SAR | 1/8 degree (14 km) for scatterometer/radiometer winds 1/64 degree (2 km) for SAR | 1/8 degree (14 km) for scatterometer/radiometer winds 1/64 degree (2 km) for SAR | 1/8 degree (14 km) for scatterometer/radiometer winds 1/64 degree (2 km) for SAR | 1/8 degree (14 km) for scatterometer/radiometer winds 1/64 degree (2 km) for SAR |
| Data Format | NetCDF | NetCDF | NetCDF | NetCDF | NetCDF |
Societal Impact
This multi-instrument, satellite-based combined product will greatly increase the spatial coverage and temporal resolution of ocean surface wind measurements as compared to existing, instrument-specific orbital data. It also will provide analysis-ready data from a single source with a common format and grid. The new product will have two important characteristics:
- A better characterization of the uncertainty from the stand-alone, instrument-specific wind retrievals, and
- A unified set of wind speed estimates that harmonize the retrievals from the different instruments, providing an instrument-agnostic estimate of the wind-speed.
Improved insights and unification will bolster forecasting and modeling efforts — such as for the detection of marine hazards like hurricanes — allowing for faster and more accurate disaster preparedness and response.
Solution Resources
Need help using this solution? Visit the following resources to access and learn more about the MWOW, Version 0 products:
- 7 sensors, 1/8 degree resolution: MWOW 6-Hourly Global Ocean Wind with Expanded Platform Inputs Level 3 Version 0.1
- 7 sensors, 1/64 degree resolution: MWOW 6-Hourly High Resolution Global Ocean Wind with Expanded Platform Inputs Level 3 Version 0.1
- 5 sensors, 1/8 degree resolution: MWOW 6-Hourly Global Ocean Wind Level 3 Version 0.1
- 5 sensors, 1/64 degree resolution: MWOW 6-Hourly High Resolution Global Ocean Wind Level 3 Version 0.1