A Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX, the company owned by Elon Musk, took off yesterday morning from the Californian coast aboard the international SWOT mission, a satellite intended to carry out the first global study of water on the Earth’s surface. Developed jointly by NASA, the French space agency Center National d’Etudes Spatiales, the Canadian Space Agency and the United Kingdom, it will improve the understand the water cycle on Earth and the role of the oceans in climate change.
The SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Surveying) mission will for the first time carry out a comprehensive survey of the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers. This advanced radar satellite is designed to allow a unprecedented tracking of the element that covers 70% of the planetsince it is able to offer a very detailed 3D vision, providing essential information on the mechanics and consequences of global warming.
With nearly two decades of development behind it, SWOT incorporates advanced microwave radar capabilities that scientists believe will collect height and surface measurements of oceans, lakes, reservoirs and rivers. with high definition detail over 90% of the planet.
The data, collected from surface scans that will be carried out at least twice every 21 days, will improve ocean circulation models, strengthen weather and climate predictions, while helping to manage freshwater supplies in regions. affected by drought.
SWOT satellite image during its development. USSF / C. OKULA / REUTERS
global temperatures
The SWOT satellite was designed and built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near the city of Los Angeles. One of the main objectives of the mission is to explore how the oceans are able to absorb atmospheric heat and carbon dioxide in a natural process that moderates global temperatures and climate change.
Scanning the seas from orbit, SWOT is also designed to measure small differences in surface elevation around currents and eddies, with ten times the resolution of any existing technology, according to JPL.
The ability of this satellite to differentiate small surface features can also be used pStudy the impact of rising sea levels on the coasts. Along tidal zones, it will be possible to predict how flooding caused by storm surges may penetrate inland, as well as the degree of saltwater intrusion into estuaries, wetlands and underground aquifers.
Freshwater bodies are another key focus for SWOT, as it is equipped to examine the full length of almost any river over 100 meters wide, as well as over a million lakes and reservoirs over of 60,000 square meters.
Inventorying the Earth’s water resources for at least three years will allow researchers to anticipate fluctuations in the planet’s freshwater masses during seasonal changes and major weather events.
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