Seasat-A Scatterometer (SASS) and NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) Enhanced-Resolution Radar Backscatter Image Products

Long-term studies of climate change can benefit from a retrospective analysis of past satellite missions. To facilitate such studies, in this paper we describe two new radar backscatter (σ
^o
) products derived from the Seasat-A Scatterometer System (SASS) and the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT). Operating at Ku-band (14.6 and 13.995 GHz, respectively), the two sensors provided global σ
^o
measurements in 1978 and 1996-1997 and are unique benchmarks for studying long-term climate change, particularly over the polar ice sheets. The products are compatibly gridded to be consistent with other existing climate data record products of σ
^o
and microwave brightness temperature (T
^B
) that span multiple decades.