This directory contains data for the ISS-RapidScat L2B 12.5km climate-quality Version 1.0 dataset. ************************************************** Dataset Description (as shown here: http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset/RSCAT_LEVEL_2B_OWV_CLIM_12_V1): This dataset contains the RapidScat Level 2B 12.5km Version 1.0 Climate quality ocean surface wind vectors. The Level 2B wind vectors are binned on a 12.5 km Wind Vector Cell (WVC) grid and processed using the using the "full aperture" normalized radar cross-section (NRCS, a.k.a. Sigma-0) from the L1B dataset. RapidScat is a Ku-band dual beam circular rotating scatterometer retaining much of the same hardware and functionality of QuikSCAT, with exception of the antenna sub-system and digital interface to the International Space Station (ISS) Columbus module, which is where RapidScat is mounted. The NASA mission is officially referred to as ISS-RapidScat. Unlike QuikSCAT, ISS-RapidScat is not in sun-synchronous orbit, and flies at roughly half the altitude with a low inclination angle that restricts data coverage to the tropics and mid-latitude regions; the extent of latitudinal coverage stretches from approximately 56 degrees North to 56 degrees South. Furthermore, there is no consistent local time of day retrieval. This dataset is provided in netCDF-4 "classic" format and made available via FTP and OPeNDAP. For data access, please click on the "Data Access" tab above. This climate quality data set differs from the nominal "slice" L2B dataset as follows: 1) it uses full antenna footprint measurements (~20-km) without subdividing by range (~7-km) and 2) the absolute calibration has been modified for the two different low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) mode data sets: LowSNR1 14 August 2015 to 18 September 2015; LowSNR2 6 October 2015 to 7 February 2016. The above enhancements allow this dataset to provide consistent calibration across all SNR states. As a result of the infrequent and unpredictable transition between high and low SNR states, this dataset will only be updated when new low SNR state transitions occur. The delay in updating new data to this dataset time series allows the calibration to be better controlled over longer time periods, thus resulting in a final data product that is more suitable for climate research. ************************************************** Cautionary Notes: 1) It is advised for users to avoid using the "wind_obj" variable since it is minimally applicable and meant primarily for quality assurance; for users who wish to access the objective function values for each ambiguity, it is suggested to use only the "ambiguity_obj" variable. 2) This dataset is only updated during SNR state transitions (i.e., high to low or low to high). Users who wish to access more recent data should refer to the Version 1.2 science-quality L2B dataset, accessible at this ftp location: http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset/RSCAT_LEVEL_2B_OWV_CLIM_12_V1 ************************************************************************************* Note: for users who wish to gain more information on instrument/spacecraft anomalies and outages, please refer to: http://manati.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/rscat_images/monitor/RapidScat_Scheduled_Outages.txt ************************************************************************************* Directory contents (data files partitioned according to 4-digit years): /2014.../2016 Note: The actual data files are contained within an additional layer of 3-digit day-of-year directories. File naming convention: rs_l2b_v1.0_climate_RRRRR_YYYYMMDDHHmm.nc.gz rs_l2b Instrument/Level Identifier: RapidScat Level 2B v1.0 Version ID: v1.0 = version 1.0 climate Indicates this is the JPL climate-quality dataset. RRRRR 5-digit orbital revolution number YYYY 4-digit year of data file creation date MM 2-digit month of data file creation date DD 2-digit day of month of data file creation date HH 2-digit hour of 24-hour day of data file creation time mm 2-digit minute of hour of data file creation time nc File extension: nc = netCDF gz GNU Zip file extension ************************************************************************************* Please send any comments or questions to https://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/forum/. Last modified on 4 May 2016.