SWOT Mission: Offering a New Perspective on Earth’s Sea Levels [Video]

Tasked with conducting the inaugural comprehensive survey of the Earth’s surface waters, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography, or SWOT, satellite is meticulously recording changes in Earth’s water bodies. The project is a joint effort of NASA and the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), and the visualizations are courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.

The global sea surface heights gathered by the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography initiative provide an enthralling representation of the world’s oceans.

The data from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite reveals compelling images of Earth’s aquatic features, including a worldwide amalgamation of sea surface heights. These findings were captured during SWOT’s premier 21-day scientific orbit from July 26 to August 16.

SWOT’s mission includes documenting the elevation of Earth’s water surfaces extensively, offering an unprecedentedly detailed and broad perspective of the planet’s seas, as well as its freshwater bodies such as lakes and rivers. This endeavor is a cooperative project between NASA and CNES.

Deciphering Sea Surface Heights

The following visual presentation illustrates anomalies in sea surface heights across the globe: Elevated ocean levels, greater than the mean global sea surface height, are depicted in red and orange, while blue denotes areas where the heights are below the average. Variations in sea level can illuminate various oceanic currents, including the Gulf Stream along the eastern coast of the United States or the Kuroshio current near Japan’s east coast. Sea surface elevation is also indicative of warmer water areas, such as the eastern segment of the equatorial Pacific Ocean during El Niño events, since water undergoes thermal expansion when heated.

This animation represents the global sea level data captured by the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite from July 26 through August 16. Areas of higher and lower than average ocean heights are indicated in shades of red, orange, and blue, respectively. The source of the visualization is NASA/JPL-Caltech.

The SWOT research team utilized the innovative Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) instrument to gather these measurements. KaRIn, equipped with two antennas set 10 meters apart, captures dual strips of data (as seen in the animation) while orbiting the Earth, employing radar pulses to measure the surface water heights.

“The precision of the global sea level information that SWOT is relaying is astounding,” noted Parag Vaze, the SWOT project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “This data is pivotal for advancing our understanding of climate change impacts and aiding global communities to adapt to an increasingly warm planet.”

This graphic depicts the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite in its orbital path with its solar arrays and the KaRIn instrument’s antennas extended. The credit for this illustration goes to CNES.

Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT)

Having been successfully launched on December 16, 2022, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, SWOT has transitioned to its operational stage, where it is actively collecting data for scientific and other applications.

The SWOT mission is a collaborative product of NASA and CNES, with additional contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), administered by Caltech in Pasadena, manages the US segment of the mission. NASA’s contributions include the KaRIn instrument, a scientific GPS receiver, a laser retroreflector, a dual-beam microwave radiometer, and operations for these instruments. CNES is responsible for providing the DORIS system, the dual-frequency Poseidon altimeter developed by Thales Alenia Space with support from the UK Space Agency, the KaRIn RF subsystem, satellite platform, and ground operations. CSA has supplied the high-power transmitter assembly for KaRIn. NASA also furnished the launch vehicle and the Launch Services Program, situated at Kennedy Space Center, oversaw the launch services associated with the mission.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about SWOT satellite sea levels

More about SWOT satellite sea levels

• NASA SWOT Mission Overview
• Understanding Sea Level Changes
• JPL’s SWOT Project
• CNES SWOT Mission Details
• Canadian Space Agency’s Role in SWOT
• UK Space Agency and SWOT
• Climate Change and Oceanography
• Vandenberg Launch Schedule