SWOT Stories
NASA’s PACE, US-European SWOT Satellites Offer Combined Look at Ocean
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. The ocean is an engine that drives Earth’s weather patterns and climate and sustains…
International SWOT Satellite Spots Planet-Rumbling Greenland Tsunami
Editor’s Note: Text describing the color scale in the data visualization was updated on Nov. 2, 2024. Data from space shows water tilting up toward the north side of the Dickson Fjord as it sloshed from south to north and back…
International SWOT Mission Can Improve Flood Prediction
A partnership between NASA and the French space agency, the satellite is poised to help improve forecasts of where and when flooding will occur in Earth’s rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are like our planet’s arteries, carrying…
NASA-Led Study Provides New Global Accounting of Earth’s Rivers
The novel approach to estimating river water storage and discharge also identifies regions marked by ‘fingerprints’ of intense water use. A study led by NASA researchers provides new estimates of how much water courses through Earth’s rivers, the rates at…
SWOT Satellite Helps Gauge the Depth of Death Valley’s Temporary Lake
Data from the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission helped researchers to calculate the depth of water in this transient freshwater body. California’s Death Valley, the driest place in North America, has hosted an ephemeral lake since late 2023.…
SWOT Satellite Catches Coastal Flooding During California Storms
Operated by NASA and the French space agency, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission provides a new view of water on land, at the coast, and in the ocean. A series of atmospheric rivers drenched California in February, with…
Google’s ‘A Passage of Water’ Brings NASA’s Water Data to Life
As part of the long-standing partnership, NASA worked with Google Arts & Culture to create an interactive digital experience around global freshwater.
NASA Analysis Finds Strong El Niño Could Bring Extra Floods This Winter
Such high-tide flooding that inundates roads and buildings along the west coast of the Americas tends to be uncommon outside of El Niño years, but that could change by the 2030s. An analysis by NASA’s sea level change science team…
See SWOT Mission’s Unprecedented View of Global Sea Levels
Data on sea surface heights around the world from the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission yields a mesmerizing view of the planet’s ocean. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite is sending down tantalizing views of Earth’s…
Water-Watching Satellite Monitors Warming Ocean off California Coast
The international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission is able to measure ocean features, like El Niño, closer to a coastline than previous space-based missions. Warm ocean waters from the developing El Niño are shifting north along coastlines in the…