A MULTIYEAR GLOBAL SURFACE WIND VELOCITY DATASET USING SSM I WIND OBSERVATIONS/

The Special Sensor Microwave Imagers (SSM/I) aboard three DMSP satelli tes have provided a large dataset of surface wind speeds over the glob al oceans from July 1987 to the present. These data are characterized by high resolution, coverage, and accuracy, but their application has been limited by the lack of directional information. In an effort to e xtend the applicability of these data, methodology has been developed to assign directions to the SSM/I wind speeds and to produce analyses using these data. Following extensive testing, this methodology has be en used to generate a seven and one-half year dataset (from July 1987 through December 1994) of global SSM/I wind vectors. These data are cu rrently being used in a variety of atmospheric and oceanic application s and are available to interested investigators. Recent results presen ted in this paper show the accuracy of the SSM/I wind velocities, the ability of these data to improve surface wind analyses, and the propag ation of a synoptic-scale convergent vol tex in the Tropics that can b e tracked from year to year in annual mean SSM/I wind fields.