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Description

This data set includes tower-based Ka-band ocean surface backscatter measurements (cross section, incidence angle, radial velocity from radar, pulse-pair correlation) located offshore of Martha’s Vineyard (41°19.5′N, 70°34′W), Massachusetts (USA) over a period of three months, from October 2019 to January 2020. Data from the Ka-band radar are collected at multiple distances from the tower (up to ~32 m) at several incidence angles and at sub-second resolution. The measurements are provided as hourly files in netCDF format.
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Ka-band backscatter data are often utilized to derived ocean surface vector winds. The instrument used for this dataset was a Ka-Band Ocean continuous wave Doppler Scatterometer (KaBODS) built by the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, which was installed on the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Air-Sea Interaction Tower (ASIT). The tower is located in 15 m deep water and extends 76 feet into the marine atmosphere. Data were collected as part of a pre-pilot campaign for the S-MODE (Submesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment) project. The measurements provided the opportunity to develop Ka-band backscatter models as well as study backscattering mechanisms under different wind, wave, and weather conditions in order to support operation of the airborne Ka-band Doppler scatterometer used during the main S-MODE intensive observation periods.

Product Summary

Platforms
FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS
Instruments
SCATTEROMETERS
Coordinate System
GEODETIC
Granule Spatial Representation
GEODETIC
Temporal Extent
2019-10-01 to 2020-01-15
Data Partner
Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA (NASA/JPL/PODAAC)
Concept ID
C2162113242-POCLOUD
Data State
COMPLETE
Number of Files/Granules
1342
Processing Level
1
Science Keywords
Radar Backscatter ,
RADIAL VELOCITY ,
SIGMA NAUGHT

Citation

Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use and Citation Guidance.

Copy Citation

S-MODE. (2023). S-MODE Pre-Pilot Level 1 Data from the Ka-band Ocean Doppler Scatterometer (KaBODS) at the Air-Sea Interaction Tower Version 1 [Data set]. NASA Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/SMODE-KABODS Date Accessed: 2026-03-17

Documents

Variables

The table below lists the variables contained within a single granule for this dataset. Variables often contain observed or derived geophysical measurements collected from a variety of sources, including remote sensing instruments on satellite and airborne platforms, field campaigns, in situ measurements, and model outputs. The terms variable, parameter, scientific data set, layer, and band have been used across NASA’s Earth science disciplines; however, variable is the designated nomenclature in NASA’s Common Metadata Repository (CMR). Variable metadata attributes such as Name, Description, Units, Data Type, Fill Value, Valid Range, and Scale Factor allow users to efficiently process and analyze the data. The full range of attributes may not be applicable to all variables. Additional information on variable attributes is typically available in the data, user guide, and/or other product documentation.

For questions on a specific variable, please use the Earthdata Forum.

Name Description Units Data Type Fill Value Valid Range Scale Factor Offset
azimuth azimuth look direction wrt north degree float N/A N/A 1 N/A
correlation pulse-pair correlation W W-1 float N/A N/A 1 N/A
negative_power negative estimated signal power N/A byte N/A N/A 1 N/A
noise_power thermal noise power dBW float N/A N/A 1 N/A
r radar range m float N/A N/A 1 N/A
rho ground distance m float N/A N/A 1 N/A
sigma0 sigma0 N/A float N/A N/A 1 N/A
signal_power signal power dBW float N/A N/A 1 N/A
theta incidence angle degree float N/A N/A 1 N/A
time UTC data collection time days since 1950-01-01 00:00:00 double N/A N/A 1 N/A
vr radial velocity from radar m s-1 float N/A N/A 1 N/A
vr_std radial velocity standard deviation m s-1 float N/A N/A 1 N/A
x ground distance for msl m double N/A N/A 1 N/A
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