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Ocean Circulation Data Access and Tools
NASA has ocean circulation datasets that help researchers characterize the currents and flow of water within Earth's oceans. Access a range of data and data tools such as AppEEARS, Worldview, and Giovanni to make the most of ocean circulation data.
Ocean Circulation Datasets
| Dataset | Version Sort ascending | Platforms | Instruments | Temporal Extent | Spatial Extent | Spatial Resolution | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECCO SBO Core Products - Snapshot (Version 4 Release 4) | V4r4 | MODELS, MITgcm | 1992-01-01 to 2018-01-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.5 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 | |
| ECCO Ocean Mixed Layer Depth - Monthly Mean 0.5 Degree (Version 4 Release 4) | V4r4 | MODELS, MITgcm | 1992-01-01 to 2018-01-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.5 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 | |
| ECCO Ocean Mixed Layer Depth - Monthly Mean llc90 Grid (Version 4 Release 4) | V4r4 | MODELS, MITgcm | 1992-01-01 to 2018-01-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
1 Decimal Degrees x 1 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 | |
| Daily NeurOST L4 Sea Surface Height and Surface Geostrophic Currents | 2024.0 | MODELS | 2010-01-01 to Present |
N: 79.9 S: -70 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.1 Decimal Degrees x 0.1 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 | |
| Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real-time (OSCAR) Surface Currents - Interim 0.25 Degree (Version 2.0) | 2.0 | NOAA-14, JASON-1, TOPEX/POSEIDON, NOAA-17, GRACE, OSTM/JASON-2, DMSP 5D-2/F10, DMSP 5D-2/F11, ERS-2, GFO, NOAA-16, NOAA-19, ENVISAT, QUIKSCAT, DMSP 5D-2/F14, ERS-1, DMSP 5D-2/F13, NOAA-20, METOP-A, JASON-3 | AVHRR-2, JASON-1 Microwave Radiometer, POSEIDON-2, ALT (TOPEX), TMR, SSALT, AVHRR-3, GRACE-FO ACC, GRACE-FO KBR, GRACE SCA, AMR, POSEIDON-3, SSM/I, ERS-2 Altimeter, GFO Altimeter, RA-2, SEAWINDS, ERS-1 ALTIMETER, POSEIDON-3B | 2020-01-01 to Present |
N: 89.75 S: -89.75 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.25 Decimal Degrees x 0.25 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real-time (OSCAR) Surface Currents - Near Real Time 0.25 Degree (Version 2.0) | 2.0 | NOAA-14, JASON-1, TOPEX/POSEIDON, NOAA-17, GRACE, OSTM/JASON-2, DMSP 5D-2/F10, DMSP 5D-2/F11, ERS-2, GFO, NOAA-16, NOAA-19, ENVISAT, QUIKSCAT, DMSP 5D-2/F14, ERS-1, DMSP 5D-2/F13, NOAA-20, METOP-A, JASON-3 | AVHRR-2, JASON-1 Microwave Radiometer, POSEIDON-2, ALT (TOPEX), TMR, SSALT, AVHRR-3, GRACE-FO ACC, GRACE-FO KBR, GRACE SCA, AMR, POSEIDON-3, SSM/I, ERS-2 Altimeter, GFO Altimeter, RA-2, SEAWINDS, ERS-1 ALTIMETER, POSEIDON-3B | 2021-01-01 to Present |
N: 89.75 S: -89.75 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.25 Decimal Degrees x 0.25 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real-time (OSCAR) Surface Currents - Final 0.25 Degree (Version 2.0) | 2.0 | NOAA-14, JASON-1, TOPEX/POSEIDON, NOAA-17, GRACE, OSTM/JASON-2, DMSP 5D-2/F10, DMSP 5D-2/F11, ERS-2, GFO, NOAA-16, NOAA-19, ENVISAT, QUIKSCAT, DMSP 5D-2/F14, ERS-1, DMSP 5D-2/F13, NOAA-20, METOP-A, JASON-3 | AVHRR-2, JASON-1 Microwave Radiometer, POSEIDON-2, ALT (TOPEX), TMR, SSALT, AVHRR-3, GRACE-FO ACC, GRACE-FO KBR, GRACE SCA, AMR, POSEIDON-3, SSM/I, ERS-2 Altimeter, GFO Altimeter, RA-2, SEAWINDS, ERS-1 ALTIMETER, POSEIDON-3B | 1993-01-01 to 2022-08-05 |
N: 89.75 S: -89.75 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.25 Decimal Degrees x 0.25 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| S-MODE DopplerScatt Level 2 Ocean Winds and Currents Version 2 | 2 | B-200 | DOPPLER RADAR | 2021-10-20 to 2023-04-30 |
N: 38.4 S: 36 E: -122 W: -126.5 |
netCDF-4 | |
| QuikSCAT ESDR Level 2 Ancillary Ocean Surface Fields Version 1.1 | 1.1 | MODELS, QUIKSCAT | Computer, SEAWINDS | 2000-06-01 to 2009-11-22 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
12.5 Kilometers x 12.5 Kilometers | netCDF-4 |
| MetOp-A ASCAT ESDR Level 2 Ancillary Ocean Surface Fields Version 1.1 | 1.1 | MODELS, METOP-A | Computer, ASCAT | 2007-01-01 to 2014-04-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
12.5 Kilometers x 12.5 Kilometers | netCDF-4 |
SHOWING 10 OF 89
Featured Ocean Circulation Observation Method: SWOT
NASA's Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) platform monitors Earth’s surface water and measures how water bodies, such as lakes and rivers, change over time. SWOTS measures water surface heights using its primary instrument, the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn).
Recently released datasets from the SWOT mission provide scientists with previously unavailable measurements of Earth's surface water.
9 MIN READ
Learn how to discover, access, and use Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission data and how these data can lead to new, innovative science and applications in the world of water.
Hydrocron enables users to receive all Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) observations for a specific river ID within a specified date range.
Join us on Wed., July 30 at 2:00 p.m. EDT (-04:00 UTC) to explore SWOT hydrology data collections of rivers and lakes, and to learn how to work with SWOT hydrology data using tools provided by both NASA's PO.DAAC and the USGS.
Ocean Circulation Data Tools
| Tool Sort descending | Description | Services | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AppEEARS | The The Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AppEEARS) offers users a simple and efficient way to perform data access and transformation processes. | Search and Discovery, Subsetting, Customization, Downloading, Visualization | |
| Earthdata Search | Earthdata Search enables data discovery, search, comparison, visualization, and access across NASA’s Earth science data holdings. | Search and Discovery, Access, Cataloging, Cloud Computing, Downloading | |
| Giovanni | Giovanni is a web application for accessing, visualizing, and analyzing Earth science remote sensing data without downloading the data. | Search and Discovery, Analysis, Access, Visualization, Downloading, Subsetting | |
| Worldview | Worldview offers the capability to interactively browse over 1,200 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and download the underlying data. | Analysis, Search and Discovery, Visualization, Access, Comparison, Monitoring Natural Events |
SHOWING 4 OF 4
Frequently Asked Questions
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