Earth Science Satellite Will Help Communities Plan for a Better Future

NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) are embarking on a new Earth science mission called the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission. This collaborative effort aims to enhance communities' ability to plan for a more sustainable future by meticulously surveying the Earth's salt and freshwater bodies. SWOT's primary focus is to measure water height in various bodies of water, including lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and oceans.

With the escalating impacts of climate change on the water cycle, many communities worldwide are facing the dual challenges of excess water inundation and water scarcity. The data gathered by the SWOT mission will be instrumental in addressing these issues. It will play a crucial role in improving flood forecasts and monitoring drought conditions, thereby providing invaluable information to a wide range of stakeholders. These stakeholders include water management agencies, civil engineers, universities, the U.S. Department of Defense, disaster preparedness agencies, and others with a vested interest in tracking water dynamics in their respective regions.

In a video presentation, various professionals, including a representative from the National Weather Service in Oregon, an engineer from the Alaska Department of Transportation, researchers from the University of Oregon and University of North Carolina, a scientist from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory collaborating with the Department of Defense, and a JPL scientist working with the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Agency, offer insights into how SWOT data will be applied within their communities to address pressing water-related challenges.