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Earth Sciences Division
Operational

Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT)

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission is NASA's first global survey of Earth's surface water. Using state-of-the-art "radar interferometry" technology to measure the elevation of water, SWOT will observe major lakes, rivers and wetlands while detecting ocean features with unprecedented resolution. SWOT data will provide critical information that is needed to assess water resources on land, track regional sea level changes, monitor coastal processes, and observe small-scale ocean currents and eddies.

Launch Date
December 2022
Class
Flight Project
Website
Key Staffs

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission is NASA's first global survey of Earth's surface water. Using state-of-the-art "radar interferometry" technology to measure the elevation of water, SWOT will observe major lakes, rivers and wetlands while detecting ocean features with unprecedented resolution. SWOT data will provide critical information that is needed to assess water resources on land, track regional sea level changes, monitor coastal processes, and observe small-scale ocean currents and eddies.

Related Publications

2026. "Towards continental-scale SWOT-based modeling of reservoir operations.", Remote Sensing of Environment, 347 115714 [10.1016/j.rse.2026.115714] [Journal Article/Letter]

2026. "Observing the tidal pulse of rivers from wide-swath satellite altimetry.", Nature, 652 (8109): 371-378 [10.1038/s41586-026-10287-z] [Journal Article/Letter]

2026. "SWOT Discharge Accuracy Benchmarked in South America.", Geophysical Research Letters, 53 (17): e2026GL122871 [10.1029/2026gl122871] [Journal Article/Letter]

2026. "SWOT, Empiricism, and River Modeling.", Geophysical Research Letters, 53 (16): e2026GL124323 [10.1029/2026gl124323] [Journal Article/Letter]

2026. "Floods in 2025.", Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, [10.1038/s43017-026-00779-x] [Journal Article/Letter]