QuikSCAT

QuikSCAT Storm Page

The storm centered imagery presented on this page are generated based on storm center files provided by NRL(Naval Research Laboratory at Monterey). These files are updated whenever new information about active storms become available, and the imagery is updated shortly after reciept of these files.

QuikSCAT is a polar orbiting satellite with an 1800 km wide measurement swath on the earth's surface. Generally, this results in twice per day coverage over a given geographic region. Wind retrievals are done on a 25km x 25km spatial scale. For additional QuikSCAT information please visit podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/quikscat

The latest and previous links display the current and past wind vector images for the selected storm. The ambiguity link plots all the ambiguities resulting from the wind retrieval process, with 4 being the maximum number of ambiguities. The NRCS, (Normalized Radar Cross-Section or Sigma0) link brings up a listing of recent NRCS images. The NRCS images shown here are gridded into an approximately 3 km grid in latitude and longitude. Currently only vertical polarization from the forward look is being shown. In the NRCS images, brighter means higher backscattered power levels, which in ocean scenes generally implies increased small scale (~2-5cm) roughness on the surface.

The hypothesis is that the NRCS images will prove useful in certain situations in locating features, such as storm centers, on the ocean surface. Especially in cases where the wind vector retrievals are inconclusive. There may be information in these images which will require experience in fully exploiting. Any feedback on these images would be appreciated.

Details about these and other enhanced resolution scatterometer image products can be found at the: NASA Scatterometer Climate Record Pathfinder Project Homepage

Details of orbit data files that go into the plots can be found here.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.