A satellite-derived climatology of global ocean winds

An interactive Climatology of Global Ocean Winds (COGOW) is presented based on 5 years (August 1999–July 2004) of QuikSCAT satellite measurements of wind speed and direction 10 m above the sea surface. This climatology provides the first high spatial resolution, observationally based, online atlas of ocean winds. Users can retrieve climatological wind maps and wind statistics, both in tabular and graphical form, from the COGOW web-based atlas. The global coverage of these data provides highly accurate information about the wind statistics in regions of the world ocean that are sparsely sampled by ships and buoys. A case study of the recovery of the vessel Ehime Maru off the Hawaiian Island of Oahu is presented to demonstrate the usage and value of COGOW. Evidence of air–sea interactions, one of many wind phenomena visible within COGOW, is discussed to further familiarize users with COGOW. Finally, the utility of COGOW with regard to various operational and research communities is summarized.