Exploring High-Resolution Sea Surface Height Data from NASA’s SWOT Satellite

  • Released Thursday, May 15, 2025
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This visualization reveals ocean surface phenomena captured by NASA's SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite. Beginning with a global perspective of conventional sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) data, the animation then showcases SWOT's orbital path and ground swath coverage (displayed in orange). As the view transitions to select regions of interest, SWOT's high-resolution SSHA measurements unveil detail impossible with previous satellite technology. The visualization clearly distinguishes ocean surface waves, internal solitary waves, and submesoscale eddies—critical features for understanding ocean dynamics and energy transfer. The color gradient ranges from dark blue (representing lower surface heights) to white (indicating higher surface heights), allowing viewers to immediately grasp the three-dimensional nature of these ocean phenomena.

Small things matter, at least when it comes to ocean features like waves and eddies. A recent NASA-led analysis using data from the SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite found that ocean features as small as a mile across potentially have a larger impact on the movement of nutrients and heat in marine ecosystems than previously thought.

Too small to see well with previous satellites, but too large to see in their entirety with ship-based instruments, these relatively small ocean features fall into a category known as the submesoscale. The SWOT satellite, a joint effort between NASA and the French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), can observe these features and is demonstrating just how important they are, driving much of the vertical transport of things like nutrients, carbon, energy, and heat within the ocean. They also influence the exchange of gases and energy between the ocean and atmosphere.

Still image - Global view of high-resolution SWOT SSHA data, with the satellite orbit shown in orange.

Still image - Global view of high-resolution SWOT SSHA data, with the satellite orbit shown in orange.

Still image - A global view of conventional sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) data, with the SWOT satellite orbit and ground track shown in orange.

Still image - A global view of conventional sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) data, with the SWOT satellite orbit and ground track shown in orange.

Still image - A close up view of one swath of SWOT data, comparing the conventional sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) data with high-resolution SWOT data. Surface waves are visible in the data.

Still image - A close up view of one swath of SWOT data, comparing the conventional sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) data with high-resolution SWOT data. Surface waves are visible in the data.

Still image - A close up view of SWOT data, revealing internal solitary waves over the Mascarene Plateau in the Indian Ocean

Still image - A close up view of SWOT data, revealing internal solitary waves over the Mascarene Plateau in the Indian Ocean

Still image - An intense submesoscale eddy detected by SWOT off the coast of South Africa in the South Atlantic.

Still image - An intense submesoscale eddy detected by SWOT off the coast of South Africa in the South Atlantic.

Still image - Eddies in the Kuroshio Current Extension revealed by SWOT data.

Still image - Eddies in the Kuroshio Current Extension revealed by SWOT data.

Still image - Eddies in the Kuroshio Current Extension revealed by SWOT data. This view of the SWOT data uses a spatial gradient to visualize ocean current speed.

Still image - Eddies in the Kuroshio Current Extension revealed by SWOT data. This view of the SWOT data uses a spatial gradient to visualize ocean current speed.

This visualization reveals ocean surface phenomena captured by NASA's SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite. Beginning with a global perspective of conventional sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) data, the animation then showcases SWOT's orbital path and ground swath coverage (displayed in orange). As the view transitions to select regions of interest, SWOT's high-resolution SSHA measurements unveil detail impossible with previous satellite technology. The visualization clearly distinguishes ocean surface waves, internal solitary waves, and submesoscale eddies—critical features for understanding ocean dynamics and energy transfer. The color gradient ranges from dark blue (representing lower surface heights) to white (indicating higher surface heights), allowing viewers to immediately grasp the three-dimensional nature of these ocean phenomena.

Still image - Internal solitary waves in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand, revealed by SWOT.

Still image - Internal solitary waves in the Strait of Gibraltar observed by SWOT.

Still image - Internal solitary waves in the Strait of Gibraltar observed by SWOT.

An interactive view of the SWOT satellite orbit.

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This page was originally published on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
This page was last updated on Thursday, May 15, 2025 at 3:34 PM EDT.

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