Early Evaluation of On-Orbit CYGNSS Level 4 Tropical Cyclone Science Data Products

The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) constellation is designed to provide observations of surface wind speed in and near the inner core of tropical cyclones (TCs) with high temporal resolution throughout the storm’s life cycle.

CYGNSS is well suited to provide estimates of TC metrics which describe the wind structure, size, and intensity of TCs. A set of CYGNSS level 4 products have been developed for TC diagnosis. From inputs of level 2 wind speed observations and the storm center location, estimates of integrated kinetic energy, wind radii, radius of maximum wind speed, and maximum wind speed are produced. These products provide information that is valuable for situational awareness and science applications.

It should be noted that there are currently no plans for near-real-time ground processing of CYGNSS data. In the future, if the CYGNSS mission successfully demonstrates the value of its data products, a transition to near-real time operations is possible.

The first results from initial on-orbit TC observations will be presented.