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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 | Platforms | Instruments | Temporal Extent | Location Keywords | Spatial Extent | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Australian Shelf Pre-SWOT Level-4 Hourly MITgcm LLC4320 Native Grid 2km Oceanographic Dataset Version 1.0 | MITgcm | Computer | 2011-09-13 to 2012-11-15 | N: -11 S: -15 E: 124.5 W: 120.5 | netCDF-4 | |
| Northwest Pacific Pre-SWOT Level-4 Hourly MITgcm LLC4320 Native Grid 2km Oceanographic Dataset Version 1.0 | MITgcm | Computer | 2011-09-13 to 2012-11-15 | NORTHWEST PACIFIC OCEAN | N: 22.99216 S: 19.00565 E: 136.8854 W: 132.9062 | netCDF-4 |
| Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real-time (OSCAR) Surface Currents - Final 0.25 Degree (Version 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 | GLOBAL OCEAN | N: 89.75 S: -89.75 E: 180 W: -180 | netCDF-4 |
| Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real-time (OSCAR) Surface Currents - Interim 0.25 Degree (Version 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 | netCDF-4 | |
| Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real-time (OSCAR) Surface Currents - Near Real Time 0.25 Degree (Version 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 | GLOBAL OCEAN | N: 89.75 S: -89.75 E: 180 W: -180 | netCDF-4 |
| OSCAR Global Mapped Eulerian and Lagrangian Oceanography and Ecology Variables Data, version 1 | MODELS | Computer | 2000-01-01 to 2009-12-31 | GLOBAL OCEAN | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | netCDF-4 |
| PISTON 2018 Research Vessel (RV) Thompson ship datasets of ocean, atmosphere, and air-sea interaction | R/V Thompson | SEA-POL, CTD, ADCP, CHAM, SO, ROSR, W-Band Radar, CEILOMETERS, RADIOMETERS, RAWINSONDES, DISDROMETERS, GPS, Hemisphere VS1000, Gill WindMaster Pro, Vaisala HMT330, ORG-815-DA, Vaisala PTB330, NOAA PSL Sea Snake, SBE-21, Riegl LD90-3100VHS-FLP, Eppley PIR, Vaisala HMT337 | 2018-08-18 to 2018-10-13 | CONTINENT, ASIA, SOUTHEASTERN ASIA, OCEAN, PACIFIC OCEAN | netCDF-4, Text File, TAR | |
| PISTON 2018-2019 Autonomous Platform Ocean Datasets | MOORINGS, OCEAN PLATFORMS | NOAA PROFILER, SOLO-II | 2018-08-23 to 2018-11-09 | ASIA, PACIFIC OCEAN, WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN, PHILIPPINES | NetCDF-4 | |
| PISTON 2019 Research Vessel (RV) Sally Ride Data | R/V Sally Ride | CTD, ADCP, SEA-POL, CHAM, SO, ROSR, HSRL, W-Band Radar, CEILOMETERS, RAWINSONDES, DISDROMETERS, LIDAR, GPS, Hemisphere VS1000, Gill WindMaster Pro, Vaisala HMT337, Vaisala HMT330, ORG-815-DA, Vaisala PTB330, NOAA PSL Sea Snake, SBE-21, Riegl LD90-3100VHS-FLP, Eppley PIR | 2019-08-31 to 2019-09-26 | CONTINENT, ASIA, SOUTHEASTERN ASIA, OCEAN, PACIFIC OCEAN | NetCDF-4, TAR, Text File | |
| QuikSCAT ESDR Level 2 Ancillary Ocean Surface Fields Version 1.1 | MODELS, QUIKSCAT | Computer, SEAWINDS | 2000-06-01 to 2009-11-22 | GLOBAL | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | netCDF-4 |
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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 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
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