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slide 1 - NASA Scientists Take to Air and Space to Study Arctic Sea Ice

NASA Scientists Take to Air and Space to Study Arctic Sea Ice

Collecting data by plane, satellite, and on the ground, researchers are improving measurements of Arctic sea ice to better understand how the system is evolving over time. Read More ›

slide 2 - Artists concept of the sun glinting off the SWOT satellite.

US-French Satellite Takes Stock of World's River Water

Rivers rise and fall throughout the year, but by how much? Perhaps less than previously thought, according to new data from the SWOT mission. Hidden riverbed contours are also emerging. Read More ›

slide 3 - SWOT Satellite Measures Tsunami After Massive Quake

US-French SWOT Satellite Measures Tsunami After Massive Quake

Data provided by the water satellite, a joint effort between NASA and the French space agency, is helping to improve tsunami forecast models, benefitting coastal communities. Read More ›

slide 4 - NASA, French SWOT Satellite Offers Big View of Small Ocean Features

NASA, French SWOT Satellite Offers Big View of Small Ocean Features

The international mission collects two-dimensional views of smaller waves and currents that are bringing into focus the ocean’s role in supporting life on Earth. Read More ›

slide 5 - NASA-French Satellite Spots Large-Scale River Waves for First Time

NASA-French Satellite Spots Large-Scale River Waves for First Time

In a first, researchers from NASA and Virginia Tech used satellite data to measure the height and speed of potentially hazardous flood waves traveling down U.S. rivers. The three waves they tracked were likely caused by extreme rainfall and by a loosened ice jam. Read More ›

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Why SWOT Matters

Detecting New Ocean Features

Detecting New Ocean Features

Enabling Data Applications

Enabling Data Applications

Assessing Freshwater Resources

Assessing Freshwater Resources

Detecting New Ocean Features

Enabling Data Applications

Assessing Freshwater Resources

Features

The SWOT Science Team is made up of researchers from across the globe, with expertise in ocean and hydrologic sciences. Learn more about what will make SWOT a transformational satellite mission by visiting the Science Team page.

large group of smiling people standing on steps of building

Dr. Hind Oubanas, CNES’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Hydrology Science Lead, gives an overview of SWOT river discharge data products and algorithm development.

Dr. Hind Oubanas, CNES’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Hydrology Science Lead, gives an overview of SWOT river discharge data products and algorithm development.

River Discharge from the SWOT Mission

This is a visualization of changes in volume of the rivers of the world over the course of a year (October 2023 through September 2024).

Visualization of world rivers without land background, but with date and colorbar overlay.

SWOT River Volume Variations

Studies of the hydrosphere encompass observation, understanding, and prediction of the distribution and movement of water in the Earth System.

This rotating globe of Earth shows ocean data in reds and blues. Over the land masses, rivers are seen teal and purple.

The Earth System Science Spheres - Hydrosphere

A recent NASA-led analysis using data from the SWOT satellite found that ocean features as small as a mile across potentially have a larger impact on the movement of nutrients and heat in marine ecosystems than previously thought.

This visualization reveals ocean surface phenomena captured by NASA's SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite.

Exploring High-Resolution Sea Surface Height Data from NASA's SWOT Satellite

Using 1 year of SWOT ocean data, we derive a global gravity field approaching a spatial resolution of 8 km, revealing more details than 30 years of satellite nadir altimetry.

Visualization of the flight path of the Gulfstream III with data curtain

SWOT Vertical Gravity Gradient

Dr. Tamlin Pavelsky, NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Hydrology Science Lead, gives an overview of SWOT hydrology data products.

Hydrology Data Products from the SWOT Mission presentation

Hydrology Data Products from the SWOT Mission

More accurate maps based on data from the SWOT mission can improve underwater navigation and result in greater knowledge of how heat and life move around the world’s ocean.

Next-Generation Water Satellite Maps Seafloor From Space

Next-Generation Water Satellite Maps Seafloor From Space

The visualization shows that higher phytoplankton concentrations on Aug. 8, 2024 tended to coincide with areas of lower water height.

This visualization begins with a view of the PACE and SWOT satellites orbiting Earth.

PACE and SWOT Visualization

Data from the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission helped researchers to calculate the depth of water in this transient freshwater body.

Water depths in Death Valley’s temporary lake ranged between about 3 feet (or 1 meter, shown in dark blue) to less than 1.5 feet (0.5 meters, light yellow) from February through early March. By measuring water levels from space, SWOT enabled research to calculate the depth.

SWOT Satellite Helps Gauge the Depth of Death Valley's Temporary Lake

A series of atmospheric rivers drenched California in February, with record amounts of rainfall and hurricane-force winds sweeping across parts of the state.

This image shows SWOT satellite data for water surface height in part of Mendocino County, Northern California, on Jan. 15, before several atmospheric rivers arrived, and on Feb. 4, after the first storms. Light blue and green indicate the highest water levels relative to mean sea level.

SWOT Satellite Catches Coastal Flooding During California Storms

One Earth satellite can see plankton that photosynthesize. The other measures water surface height. Together, their data reveals how sea life and the ocean are intertwined.

NASA's PACE, US-European SWOT Satellites Offer Combined Look at Ocean

NASA's PACE, US-European SWOT Satellites Offer Combined Look at Ocean

Data from the U.S.-European Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission gives researchers a detailed look at lakes and reservoirs in a U.S. watershed.

Cutting-Edge Satellite Tracks Lake Water Levels in Ohio River Basin

Cutting-Edge Satellite Tracks Lake Water Levels in Ohio River Basin

Data from space shows water tilting up toward the north side of the Dickson Fjord as it sloshed from south to north and back every 90 seconds for nine days after a 2023 rockslide.

A SWOT data visualization shows water on the northern side of Greenland’s Dickson Fjord at higher levels than on the southern side on Sept. 17, 2023. A huge rockslide into the fjord the previous day led to a tsunami lasting nine days that caused seismic rumbling around the world.

International SWOT Satellite Spots Planet-Rumbling Greenland Tsunami

One of the things the SWOT mission will do is help scientists track the amount of fresh water in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, and monitor how they change over time.

Hydrologist Dr. Cedric David explains how SWOT will study rivers and lakes

Hydrologist Dr. Cedric David explains how SWOT will study rivers and lakes

Sascha Burton and her work on SWOT were featured by NASA Earth on International Women's Day

Photo of SWOT Mechanical Integration Lead, Sascha Burton

SWOT Mechanical Integration Lead Sascha Burton featured on International Women's Day

Partners

Partners

SWOT is being jointly developed by NASA and Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and United Kingdom Space Agency.