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The main aim of the NWP SAF scatterometer monitoring site is to highlight 
differences between scatterometer and NWP model estimates of ocean surface wind 
vectors. 
This is primarily done by comparing observed wind vectors (O) with model 
background wind values (B) from a recent short-range forecast.
                     
                    
The monitoring is divided in to two parts; near real time (NRT) and monthly. 
Dedicated NRT monitoring pages are currently 
available for the ASCAT-A, ASCAT-B and RapidScat scatterometers, as well as the 
WindSat polarimetric radiometer.
The purpose of the monthly monitoring archive is 
to highlight where there are persistent differences between the 
observations and the model background and also to show seasonal trends. Past 
instruments such as OSCAT and ERS-2 are also kept in the archive.
                     
This site also hosts information on how scatterometer winds are assimilated at 
different NWP centres. These details can be found by following the links on the 
NWP page.  
                    
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