SWOT Mission Captures First Images of Earth’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography
NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, in collaboration with the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), has captured new images of Earth’s surface water and ocean topography. The SWOT mission is the first-ever comprehensive survey to measure the elevation of nearly all the water on Earth’s surface. With the help of its Kaband Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) instrument, SWOT has already mapped data with sea levels along the Gulf Stream off the coast of North Carolina and Virginia.
The spatial resolution of SWOT ocean measurements is ten times greater than the composite of sea surface height data gathered over the same area by seven other satellites. Furthermore, SWOT is capturing views of freshwater features such as lakes, rivers, and other water bodies down to about 300 feet (100 meters) wide.
New Study Reveals Water Distribution on the Moon Near its South Pole
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) recently conducted a study that provides hints about how water may be moving across the moon’s surface. The study provides the first detailed, wide-area map of water distribution on the Moon. As per SOFIA officials, lunar water is a valuable resource for establishing a long-term human presence on the moon.
The new map covers about one-quarter of the Earth-facing side of the lunar surface below 60 degrees latitude and extends to the moon’s south pole. Interestingly, NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) will land in the region studied by SOFIA to conduct the first resource mapping mission beyond Earth in late 2024.
Insights Gained from SWOT Mission
The data gathered by the SWOT mission will be used by researchers, policymakers, and water resource managers to produce an extraordinary accounting of Earth’s freshwater resources. It will also provide insights into how the ocean influences climate change and the water cycle.
SWOT’s advanced imagery empowers researchers and advances the way we manage fresh water and the effects of sea level rise across the globe. Water is one of our planet’s most important resources, and it’s vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. SWOT’s measurements of freshwater bodies and the ocean are critical information that communities can use to prepare for the impacts of a warming climate.
With its advanced KaRIn instrument, SWOT is collecting information at a resolution previously impossible with other satellites. The instrument has acquired data that was mapped as a pair of wide, colored strips spanning a total of 75 miles (120 kilometers) across, showing sea levels that are higher or lower than the global average.
KaRIn was able to measure the elevation of water features on Long Island, showing how SWOT can measure details of smaller lakes, ponds, and rivers in ways that satellites could not before. This is an exciting development as it opens up new possibilities for analyzing smaller bodies of water around the world.
Importance Of SWOT
SWOT’s data on freshwater resources on a global scale is highly valuable for the international scientific community in the fields of hydrology, oceanography, and coastal studies. The new data from SWOT will be used to produce an extraordinary accounting of the freshwater on Earth’s surface in ways useful to researchers, policymakers, and water resource managers.
The insights gained through this mission will help communities better manage their water resources and prepare for floods and other disasters. This mission is crucial in light of the ongoing climate change crisis as it helps us understand how our planet’s water systems are changing.
Conclusion
The new findings from NASA’s SWOT mission and SOFIA’s lunar water study will help us to better understand our planet’s water systems and explore new possibilities for resource management. These missions represent an important step forward in our understanding of issues related to climate change, freshwater resource management, and the development of a sustainable future. With the help of these groundbreaking missions, researchers and policymakers can take necessary actions to preserve our planet’s most valuable resource – water.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
