Earth Science

Quick Scatterometer Mission (QuikSCAT)

Orbiter · Directed · Agency-led · Launched on June 20, 1999 · Completed · LCC: $93M/$188M (2025 $)Life-cycle cost: NASA’s reported cost to build, launch, and operate a mission through its prime mission, plus documented partner contributions, in 2025 dollars. Extended missions are not included. Methods · Wikipedia

Scope Active Mission WindowActivePapers published from the first full month after science operations begin through two years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. For QuikSCAT, papers published August 1, 1999 to November 1, 2020. Methods LifetimeLifetimeEvery tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. For QuikSCAT, papers published from 2000 to November 3, 2026. Methods
Tracked publicationsTracked publications: peer-reviewed papers we found that name the mission or its instruments in their titles, abstracts, or keywords. Papers that used the data without naming it are missed. Methods826
CitationsCitations: every citation these publications have drawn to date. Older missions have had longer to collect them. Methods27,116
Citation indices
h-indexh-index: the largest h such that h papers have at least h citations each. It only grows with time, so older missions score higher. Methods80
g-indexg-index: the largest g for which the g most-cited papers together hold at least g² citations. Like the h-index, but it lets the most-cited papers count for more. Methods119
m-indexm-index: a mission’s h-index divided by the years since its first peer-reviewed paper. It falls every 1 January even when nothing else changes; the figure shown is as of November 3, 2026. It also discounts the long operating life that larger missions paid for. Methods3.0
toritori (total research impact, from SciX): for every paper citing one of the mission’s papers, 1 divided by the citing paper’s reference count times the cited paper’s author count, summed, with self-citations removed. It favors citations from papers with short reference lists and from outside the mission’s own authors. Computed over the tracked citation graph, which can be slightly incomplete. Always over every tracked publication to date, whichever scope is chosen. Methods263
riqriq (research impact quotient): 1,000 times the square root of tori, divided by the years since the mission’s first paper. A rate, not a total, so it does not keep growing with age the way the h-index and tori do. Like tori, always over every tracked publication to date. Methods600

Publications and citations by year (lifetime)

Publications per yearCumulative citations

Institutional contributions (lifetime)The institutions SciX lists for each paper’s authors, as printed on the paper, located through the Research Organization Registry. A square counts a paper once, however many of its authors worked there. Methods

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Tracked publications over the lifetime (826)

All publications CSV · JSON

  1. Satellite Measurements Reveal Persistent Small-Scale Features in Ocean Winds

    Chelton, Dudley B., 2004, Sci

    749 lifetime citations

  2. Observations of Coupling between Surface Wind Stress and Sea Surface Temperature in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.

    Chelton, Dudley B., 2001, JCli

    431 lifetime citations

  3. A Global Climatology of Surface Wind and Wind Stress Fields from Eight Years of QuikSCAT Scatterometer Data

    Risien, Craig M., 2008, JPO

    425 lifetime citations

  4. Annual Cycle of Southeast Asia -- Maritime Continent Rainfall and the Asymmetric Monsoon Transition.

    Chang, C.-P., 2005, JCli

    366 lifetime citations

  5. Wind as a Long-Distance Dispersal Vehicle in the Southern Hemisphere

    Muñoz, Jesús, 2004, Sci

    350 lifetime citations

  6. Rapid reduction of Arctic perennial sea ice

    Nghiem, S. V., 2007, GeoRL

    293 lifetime citations

  7. Detection and Processing of Bistatically Reflected GPS Signals From Low Earth Orbit for the Purpose of Ocean Remote Sensing

    Gleason, Scott, 2005, ITGRS

    263 lifetime citations

  8. Evaluation of Wind Vectors Observed by QuikSCAT/SeaWinds Using Ocean Buoy Data

    Ebuchi, Naoto, 2002, JAtOT

    247 lifetime citations

  9. Forest productivity and water stress in Amazonia: observations from GOSAT chlorophyll fluorescence

    Lee, Jung-Eun, 2013, RSPSB

    247 lifetime citations

  10. Image Reconstruction and Enhanced Resolution Imaging from Irregular Samples

    Early, 2001, ITGRS

    208 lifetime citations

  11. Numerical study on the summer upwelling system in the northern continental shelf of the South China Sea

    Jing, Zhi-you, 2009, CSR

    201 lifetime citations

  12. The shared and unique values of optical, fluorescence, thermal and microwave satellite data for estimating large-scale crop yields

    Guan, Kaiyu, 2017, RSEnv

    198 lifetime citations

  13. Observations of SST-Induced Perturbations of the Wind Stress Field over the Southern Ocean on Seasonal Timescales.

    O'Neill, Larry W., 2003, JCli

    197 lifetime citations

  14. A QuikSCAT climatology of tropical cyclone size

    Chavas, D. R., 2010, GeoRL

    195 lifetime citations

  15. High-Resolution Satellite Measurements of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Response to SST Variations along the Agulhas Return Current.

    O'Neill, Larry W., 2005, JCli

    194 lifetime citations

  16. Modeling distribution of Amazonian tree species and diversity using remote sensing measurements

    Saatchi, Sassan, 2008, RSEnv

    170 lifetime citations

  17. Tip Jets and Barrier Winds: A QuikSCAT Climatology of High Wind Speed Events around Greenland.

    Moore, G. W. K., 2005, JCli

    167 lifetime citations

  18. Interannual variability of the Kuroshio intrusion in the South China Sea

    Caruso, Michael J., 2006, JOce

    155 lifetime citations

  19. Upwelling around Cabo Frio, Brazil: The importance of wind stress curl

    Castelao, Renato M., 2006, GeoRL

    153 lifetime citations

  20. Atmospheric manifestation of tropical instability wave observed by QuikSCAT and tropical rain measuring mission

    Liu, Timothy W., 2000, GeoRL

    152 lifetime citations

How we found these papers

We searched NASA’s Science Explorer (SciX) for peer-reviewed articles naming QuikSCAT in the title, abstract or keywords; standard filters drop articles that are not peer-reviewed and magazine pieces.

((abs:"QuikSCAT" OR abs:QSCAT OR (=abs:"SeaWinds" AND NOT abs:("ADEOS" OR "Midori" OR "Advanced Earth Observing Satellite" OR "Blended SeaWinds")))) AND property:refereed AND doctype:article AND pubdate:[1999-08 TO 2040-01] AND NOT bibstem:("A&R" OR "ACPD" OR "AIASJ" OR "AMTD" OR "AeAm" OR "AirSp" OR "AsNow" OR "AsUAI" OR "AvWST" OR "BGD" OR "C&E" OR "C&T" OR "CAPJ" OR "CliPD" OR "E&S" OR "ENews" OR "ESDD" OR "ESSDD" OR "ESuDD" OR "GID" OR "GMDD" OR "GeCAS" OR "HESSD" OR "IrAJ" OR "JCos" OR "JRASC" OR "LAstr" OR "MNSSA" OR "Met" OR "NHESD" OR "NPGD" OR "NewSc" OR "OcScD" OR "Orion" OR "PhT" OR "PhTea" OR "PhuZ" OR "PhyOJ" OR "PhyW" OR "PlR" OR "SOILD" OR "SciAm" OR "SpFl" OR "TCD" OR "ZemVs")

Open in SciX

Added after review (1)

  1. Adjustment of the summertime marine atmospheric boundary layer to the western Iberia coastal morphology Uses QuikSCAT 2000-2009 wind estimates to study coastal winds off western Iberia. Decision 🤖

Removed after review (10)

  1. On the assimilation of Ku-band scatterometer winds for weather analysis and forecasting Scatterometer wind assimilation study written before QuikSCAT returned data; uses NSCAT and ERS winds. Decision 👨
  2. Improved resolution backscatter measurements with the SeaWinds pencil-beam scatterometer Signal-processing design for the SeaWinds scatterometer, demonstrated on a synthetic scene; no science result. Decision 👨
  3. Polarimetric scatterometry: a promising technique for improving ocean surface wind measurements from space Design study for a future polarimetric scatterometer; uses no QuikSCAT data. Decision 🤖
  4. High-Resolution Measurements With a Spaceborne Pencil-Beam Scatterometer Using Combined Range/Doppler Discrimination Techniques Proposes a processing technique for future scatterometers; uses no QuikSCAT data. Decision 🤖
  5. Design and optimization of a Ku-band rotating, range-gated fanbeam scatterometer Design of a different scatterometer; mentions QuikSCAT only as a performance benchmark. Decision 🤖
  6. Russian scatterometer: discussion of the concept and the numerical simulation of wind field retrieval Concept for a Russian scatterometer; mentions SeaWinds only as a design prototype. Decision 🤖
  7. FY-3E Wind Scatterometer Prelaunch and Commissioning Performance Verification Performance tests of China's FY-3E scatterometer; names SeaWinds only in a list. Decision 🤖
  8. QGIS Shoreline Change Analysis Tool (QSCAT): A fast, open-source shoreline change analysis plugin for QGIS Describes a shoreline-analysis software tool also called QSCAT; not the QuikSCAT mission. Decision 🤖
  9. Acceleration and spatial reorganization of bank erosion under prolonged sediment starvation: multi-decadal evidence from the Vam Nao channel River-bank erosion study; QSCAT here is a shoreline-analysis software tool. Decision 🤖
  10. Research on the Parameter Design Method and System Simulation of Multimode Microwave Remote Sensors Operating in Scatterometer Modes Design method for a new radar sensor; mentions QuikSCAT only as a performance benchmark. Decision 🤖