Mariano Global Surface Velocity Analysis

The initial input data set is the Maury Ship Drift database from 1900 to 1945. Each velocity component, u and v, were estimated using the scalar Parameter Matrix Objective Analysis algorithm (PMOA) routine described in Mariano and Brown (1992) after a median filter was applied to the data to remove gross outliers. This data was mapped monthly and has a horizontal resolution of 100 km (Mariano et al, 1995).

Below are some example plots of the data showing the Seasonal averages for the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific. Move the mouse over the season to change the picture.

More Example Plots

Slide show of sliding Seasonal averages.

Winter (top panel) and Summer (bottom panel) averages of the 18km OA AVHRR SST data and the MGSVA surface velocity.

Data
The monthly 1° surface velocity data is available from our anonymous ftp site at ftp:jerry.rsmas.miami.edu/pub/MGSVA/ See the read.me file for more information.

Notes

Funding for the analysis of this surface velocity product was provided by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Office of Naval Research.
Thanks to Alan J. Wallcraft for the 'curvey arrow' program.

To see more examples of this data set and learn more about ocean surface currents, see MPO's Ocean Surface Currents web page.

References

Mariano, A.J., E.H. Ryan, S. Smithers, and B. Perkins. The Mariano Global Surface Velocity Analysis. U.S. Coast Guard Technical Report, CG-D-34-95, 1995 (MGSVA).

Mariano, A.J. and O.B. Brown. Efficient objective analysis of dynamically heterogeneous and nonstationary fields via the parameter matrix. Deep-Sea Res., 39(7/8), 1992, 1255-1271.