The Maximum Likelihood Estimate or MLE product indicates the certainty with which the ASCAT wind direction has been determined. Large MLE values indicate winds that have a greater directional variability within a grid cell (about 25 km resolution for the plots shown). For more on MLE, access the MLE section of COMET’s Using Scatterometer Wind and Altimeter Wave Estimates in Marine Forecasting lesson.
By combining scatterometer wind data with the MLE wind variability product, we see areas of wind variability (the red shading) that correspond to areas of directional shear on a smaller scale.