Loading

Where's Water? U.S. East Coast From New York to Florida... SWOT has it covered

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will help us better understand our planet... pretty much anywhere!

Studies have shown that whales can gather at the edges of ocean "eddies."
These swirling masses of water can be spun off of ocean currents.
Some eddies stir up nutrients that promote the growth of tiny algae, fueling the marine food web... all the way up to whales!

Sea captain Timothy Folger noticed that whales were often found along the edges of ocean currents. He told his cousin, Benjamin Franklin, about his observations.

Benjamin Franklin MADE THE FIRST MAP OF THE GULF STREAM IN 1768!

Like our ocean, Earth's atmosphere swirls.

Hurricanes are large rotating storms, often hundreds of miles across.

Hurricanes form over warm ocean water in the tropics. This is where the evaporation of seawater increases their strength.
Hurricanes have sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or faster.

However, storm surges are often the most damaging part of a hurricane. Water can pile up in center of the hurricane.

Upon landfall, such "mounds" of seawater can surge onto the coast and cause severe flooding.

Storm surge impacts will increase with rising sea level.

Global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in 1880. It is projected to rise another 1 to 4 feet by 2100. Why?

Melting land ice adds water to the ocean.
In addition, seawater expands as it warms.
In New York City and Miami, millions of people live less than 6 feet above today's sea level.

These cities are prone to severe flooding. This is, in part, due to storm surges made worse by sea level rise.

How will SWOT help us understand the U.S. East Coast & beyond?

HAVE YOU FELT TEMPERATURE DROP WHEN WEATHER FRONTS PASS AHEAD OF THUNDERSTORMS?

The same type of process happens in our seas!

SWOT will observe the sea surface height of ocean fronts and swirling eddies – as small as 20 miles!

Studying such sea surface "bumps" will help scientists estimate how fast the ocean transfers heat up and down.

Ocean fronts and eddies also move carbon dioxide. Both heat & carbon dioxide affect ocean warming.

SWOT will Help better understand Ocean warming, which contributes to...

Hurricane strength
Sea level rise
Climate change

Where There's Water... There's SWOT!

Launch Date: 2021
Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9
Altitude in orbit: 857 km (532.5 mi)
Swath: 120 km (75 mi) wide
Coverage: 77.6°N to 77.6°S with an average revisit time of 11 days
Partners: NASA and Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and United Kingdom Space Agency

Links and Other Information

Report Abuse

If you feel that this video content violates the Adobe Terms of Use, you may report this content by filling out this quick form.

To report a copyright violation, please follow the DMCA section in the Terms of Use.