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    • CYGNSS Level 2 Science Data Record Version 3.0

    Metadata Updated: April 10, 2026

    This dataset contains the Version 3.0 CYGNSS Level 2 Science Data Record which provides the time-tagged and geolocated average wind speed (m/s) and mean square slope (MSS) with 25x25 kilometer resolution from the Delay Doppler Mapping Instrument aboard the CYGNSS satellite constellation. This version supersedes Version 2.1; https://doi.org/10.5067/CYGNS-L2X21. The reported sample locations are determined by the specular points corresponding to the Delay Doppler Maps (DDMs). A subset of DDM data used in the direct processing of the average wind speed and MSS is co-located inside of the Level 2 data files. Only one netCDF data file is produced each day (each file containing data from up to 8 unique CYGNSS spacecraft) with a latency of approximately 6 days (or better) from the last recorded measurement time. Here is a summary of processing changes reflected in the v3.0 data: 1) the changes to calibration and validation of the Level 1 Normalized Bistatic Radar Cross Section (NBRCS) necessitated updates to the Geophysical Model Functions (GMFs) used to retrieve wind speed; 2) the GMF for fully developed seas (FDS) conditions was generating using matchups between NBRCS measurements and coincident wind speeds produced by NASAs Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2) reanalysis model; 3) the GMF for young seas with limited fetch (YSLF) was generated using matchups between NBRCS and coincident wind speeds produced by NOAAs Hurricane Weather Research and Forecast (HWRF) System; 4) YSLF wind speed is a tapered linear combination of wind speeds derived from the FDS and YSLF GMFs, where the taper gives more weight to FDS at low wind speeds and more to YSLF at high wind speeds and accounts for the transition from FDS to YSLF sea state conditions near cyclonic storms; 5) re-introduces measurements using transmissions from previously discarded GPS satellite block types; in prior versions, Block II-F was completely discarded due to large variations in GPS transmit power. The real time transmit power monitoring and correction implemented in Level 1 v3.0 data now allows Block II-F signals to be used.

    Access & Use Information

    Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: See this page for license information.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Created Date April 11, 2025
    Metadata Updated Date April 10, 2026

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NASA Data.json

    Other Data Resources

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Created Date April 11, 2025
    Metadata Updated Date April 10, 2026
    Publisher NASA/JPL/PODAAC;NASA/ESSP/UMICH/CYGNSS
    Maintainer
    Identifier 10.5067/CYGNS-L2X30
    Data Last Modified 2026-04-06
    Category Earth Science
    Public Access Level public
    Bureau Code 026:00
    Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
    Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
    Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
    Harvest Object Id 7fc17fbb-2465-406c-a0dc-22cfbffa2d90
    Harvest Source Id 58f92550-7a01-4f00-b1b2-8dc953bd598f
    Harvest Source Title NASA Data.json
    License https://www.usa.gov/government-works
    Old Spatial "CARTESIAN",{"NorthBoundingCoordinate":40.0,"WestBoundingCoordinate":-180.0,"EastBoundingCoordinate":180.0,"SouthBoundingCoordinate":-40.0}
    Program Code 026:000
    Source Datajson Identifier True
    Source Hash e331a50fd0d5b5aec8d63803c0f8746949e51348349e310931d16611fd3a2b60
    Source Schema Version 1.1
    Spatial
    Temporal 2018-08-01/2026-03-30

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