SWOT satellite for global hydrological applications: accuracy assessment and insights into surface water dynamics
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, launched in December 2022, marks a significant breakthrough in hydrological monitoring. Equipped with a Ka-band radar interferometer, nadir altimeter, and radiometers, SWOT enables simultaneous measurements of water levels, widths, and slopes...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-08-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Digital Earth |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17538947.2025.2472924 |
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| author | Jiaqi Yao Nan Xu Mengran Wang Tong Liu Hui Lu Yongqiang Cao Xinming Tang Fan Mo Huanyu Chang Haiying Gong Huichao Xin Hao Xu |
| author_facet | Jiaqi Yao Nan Xu Mengran Wang Tong Liu Hui Lu Yongqiang Cao Xinming Tang Fan Mo Huanyu Chang Haiying Gong Huichao Xin Hao Xu |
| author_sort | Jiaqi Yao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, launched in December 2022, marks a significant breakthrough in hydrological monitoring. Equipped with a Ka-band radar interferometer, nadir altimeter, and radiometers, SWOT enables simultaneous measurements of water levels, widths, and slopes with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. This manuscript systematically reviews SWOT's satellite parameters, scientific missions, algorithm processes, and application products to provide a more comprehensive understanding of its capabilities. Validation with ICESat-2 and other reference datasets shows that SWOT’s WSE products achieve an accuracy of up to 0.18 m for inland water surface elevation measurements, thereby significantly improving the precision of water body monitoring. Additionally, SWOT demonstrates substantial potential in flood monitoring by capturing flood inundation dynamics with high spatiotemporal resolution, thereby enhancing rapid response and early warning capabilities. These advancements address critical limitations in existing satellite missions, improving global hydrological observation and supporting water resource management. SWOT’s data products offer essential insights into surface water dynamics, contributing to disaster mitigation and a better understanding of climate change impacts on water resources. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2d9f40f7a7be421ba0b34b596818483c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1753-8947 1753-8955 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Digital Earth |
| spelling | doaj-art-2d9f40f7a7be421ba0b34b596818483c2025-08-25T11:31:40ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Digital Earth1753-89471753-89552025-08-0118110.1080/17538947.2025.2472924SWOT satellite for global hydrological applications: accuracy assessment and insights into surface water dynamicsJiaqi Yao0Nan Xu1Mengran Wang2Tong Liu3Hui Lu4Yongqiang Cao5Xinming Tang6Fan Mo7Huanyu Chang8Haiying Gong9Huichao Xin10Hao Xu11Academy of Ecological Civilization Development for JING-JIN-JI Megalopolis, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory for Geo-Environmental Monitoring of Great Bay Area, Ministry of Natural Resources & Guangdong Key Laboratory of Urban Informatics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaAcademy of Ecological Civilization Development for JING-JIN-JI Megalopolis, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of ChinaAcademy of Ecological Civilization Development for JING-JIN-JI Megalopolis, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaAcademy of Ecological Civilization Development for JING-JIN-JI Megalopolis, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of ChinaLand Satellite Remote Sensing Application Center (LASAC), Ministry of Natural Resources of People’s Republic of China, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaLand Satellite Remote Sensing Application Center (LASAC), Ministry of Natural Resources of People’s Republic of China, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaAcademy of Ecological Civilization Development for JING-JIN-JI Megalopolis, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of ChinaAcademy of Ecological Civilization Development for JING-JIN-JI Megalopolis, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of ChinaCollege of Geography and Remote Sensing, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of ChinaCollege of Geography and Remote Sensing, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of ChinaThe Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, launched in December 2022, marks a significant breakthrough in hydrological monitoring. Equipped with a Ka-band radar interferometer, nadir altimeter, and radiometers, SWOT enables simultaneous measurements of water levels, widths, and slopes with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. This manuscript systematically reviews SWOT's satellite parameters, scientific missions, algorithm processes, and application products to provide a more comprehensive understanding of its capabilities. Validation with ICESat-2 and other reference datasets shows that SWOT’s WSE products achieve an accuracy of up to 0.18 m for inland water surface elevation measurements, thereby significantly improving the precision of water body monitoring. Additionally, SWOT demonstrates substantial potential in flood monitoring by capturing flood inundation dynamics with high spatiotemporal resolution, thereby enhancing rapid response and early warning capabilities. These advancements address critical limitations in existing satellite missions, improving global hydrological observation and supporting water resource management. SWOT’s data products offer essential insights into surface water dynamics, contributing to disaster mitigation and a better understanding of climate change impacts on water resources.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17538947.2025.2472924Water resourceshydrologyremote sensingsatellite altimetrySurface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission |
| spellingShingle | Jiaqi Yao Nan Xu Mengran Wang Tong Liu Hui Lu Yongqiang Cao Xinming Tang Fan Mo Huanyu Chang Haiying Gong Huichao Xin Hao Xu SWOT satellite for global hydrological applications: accuracy assessment and insights into surface water dynamics International Journal of Digital Earth Water resources hydrology remote sensing satellite altimetry Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission |
| title | SWOT satellite for global hydrological applications: accuracy assessment and insights into surface water dynamics |
| title_full | SWOT satellite for global hydrological applications: accuracy assessment and insights into surface water dynamics |
| title_fullStr | SWOT satellite for global hydrological applications: accuracy assessment and insights into surface water dynamics |
| title_full_unstemmed | SWOT satellite for global hydrological applications: accuracy assessment and insights into surface water dynamics |
| title_short | SWOT satellite for global hydrological applications: accuracy assessment and insights into surface water dynamics |
| title_sort | swot satellite for global hydrological applications accuracy assessment and insights into surface water dynamics |
| topic | Water resources hydrology remote sensing satellite altimetry Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17538947.2025.2472924 |
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