CYGNSS Science Highlights from the First Year on Orbit

The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission is the first of the new generation of NASA Earth Venture missions, and consists of a constellation of eight small satellites launched 15 December 2016. The mission utilizes GPS signals reflected from the Earth's surface to infer near-surface wind speeds over the global tropical oceans. The eight-satellite constellation observes ocean-surface wind speeds in all weather conditions (including in heavy precipitation) with a median revisit time of approximately 3 hours.

The measurements made by CYGNSS are designed to improve understanding of winds in and around the inner core of tropical cyclones; however, observations are being taken constantly over ocean and land in a latitude range that spans +/- 40 degrees latitude. The CYGNSS science team has been using CYGNSS measurements to examine a wide variety of wind and wave processes over the tropical and subtropical oceans. This presentation will highlight science results from CYGNSS' first year on orbit, including:

1. Observations of ocean surface winds near the inner core of tropical cyclones
2. Analysis of winds and surface fluxes in organized (non-TC) tropical convection
3. Data assimilation and OSSE studies
4. Use of CYGNSS observations to study ocean waves
5. Observations of winds and surface fluxes in low-latitude extratropical fronts and cyclones