New Method to Measure High-Resolution Wind from a Decade of NASA Satellite Scatterometer Data for Offshore Wind Energy Development

A new method is developed to obtain a unique dataset of offshore wind climatology at 1-km posting from a decade of NASA QuikSCAT satellite scatterometer data. High-resolution scatterometer results, as close as 10-15 km to shore, are compared with model patterns of the National Renewable Laboratory (NREL) wind density classes to show potential areas for wind energy development in near-shore waters. High-resolution wind atlases can be made for various science studies and practical applications.