Inter-Comparison of Numerical Model Generated Surface Winds with QuikSCAT Winds over the Indian Ocean

The accurate surface wind in the equatorial Indian Ocean is crucial for modeling ocean circulation over this region. In this study, the surface wind analysis generated at the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) are compared with NASA QuikSCAT satellite derived Level2B (swath level) and Level3 (gridded) surface winds for the year 2005. It is observed that the ECMWF winds exhibit speed bias of 1.5 m/s with respect to QuikSCAT Level3 in the southern equatorial Indian Ocean. The NCEP winds are found to exhibit speed bias (1.0–1.5 m/s) in the southern equatorial Indian Ocean specifically during January–February 2005. The biases are also observed in the analysis when compared with Level2B product as well; however, it is less in comparison to Level3 products. The amplitude of daily variations of both ECMWF and NCEP wind speed in Bay of Bengal and parts of the Arabian Sea is about 80% of that in QuikSCAT, while in the equatorial I...