Surface winds refer to the wind speed and direction measured from the surface of Earth’s land or ocean. By studying these winds, scientists can learn more about ocean processes and improve predictions of extreme weather. NASA’s available data products useful to the study of surface winds include average wind speed and direction, sea level pressure, and surface stress.

NASA’s Earth-observing satellites have long collected data about surface winds. For example, the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission consists of a constellation of satellites that collect frequent remote sensing measurements of surface wind speeds. These satellites use constant and ubiquitous signals from the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system. The Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) project also provides surface wind data, which begin in 1980 and run a few weeks behind real time.