SWOT L2 LR SSH Basic: Sea Surface Height and Wave Data

SWOT Level 2 KaRIn Low Rate Sea Surface Height Basic Data Product provides global observations of sea surface height and significant wave height from the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) on the SWOT satellite. Data is distributed as one netCDF-4 file per half-orbit pass, with key variables provided on a swath-aligned 2x2 km grid and sea surface height also on a finer 250x250 m native grid. This collection contains the 'Basic' file from each product, offering a limited variable set aimed at general users and contains SWOT Version C science data products.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global sea surface height anomalies for climate and ocean circulation studies based on the provided sea surface height anomaly variable.
• Analyzing significant wave height patterns for ocean wave climate research and maritime safety applications.
• Studying wind speed over the ocean surface using the included wind speed parameter derived from KaRIn measurements.
• Investigating small-scale oceanographic features using the high-resolution 250x250 m 'native' grid sea surface height data.

Strengths

• Provides data from a dedicated satellite mission (SWOT) launched on December 16, 2022, with a defined science phase expected through 2025.
• Offers dual spatial resolutions: a standard 2x2 km grid and a high-resolution 250x250 m 'native' grid for sea surface height.
• Covers a wide swath of 10-60 km on each side of the satellite's nadir track, providing broad spatial coverage per pass.

Limitations

• Dataset size, row count, and specific column names are not provided in the available metadata, limiting precise technical assessment.
• The 'Basic' product contains a limited set of variables compared to the full expert-level data product.
• Metadata completeness varies across platforms, with some entries missing license, author, and update information.

Provenance

Source

Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) instrument. Data processed and distributed by PO.DAAC (Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center).

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via radar interferometry.

Time Range

From mission launch in December 2022, with the science phase expected to continue through 2025.

Freshness

2026-04-10 19:36:29.364486

Geography

Global ocean coverage.