Assessing the potential for the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission for constituent flux estimations

Frontiers in Earth Science

Earth Science

Jaclyn Gehring¹  Edward Beighley²  Aron Stubbins³ 

[1] Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States;Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States;Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States;Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States;Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States;Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States;

关键词: river discharge;    remote sensing;    hydrology;    SWOT;    biogeochemistry;   

DOI  :  10.3389/feart.2023.1201711

 received in 2023-04-07, accepted in 2023-08-23,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The recently launched Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite will simultaneously measure river surface water widths, elevations, and slopes. These novel observations combined with assumptions for unobserved bathymetry and roughness enable the derivation of river discharge. Derived discharge data will not be available until the fall of 2023, despite the satellite having completed approximately 6 months of observations for validation and calibration and transitioning into the nominal orbit phase. SWOT has an irregular flyover frequency, ranging from roughly 1 to 10 times per 21 days. Here, we present how best to use SWOT data when it becomes live, including consideration of how best to accommodate or utilize the irregular flyover frequency of SWOT as it intersects with river reaches. We investigate the predicted capabilities of SWOT for several major rivers using synthetic/theoretical SWOT time series data and evaluate how the characteristics of river discharge dynamics and SWOT sampling frequency impact discharge estimates. This analysis indicates the irregular frequency of SWOT best captures the hydrology of larger, more stable, rivers but presents challenges in smaller, flashier rivers, particularly when sampling frequency decreases (i.e., falls to once per 21 days). Further, the use of SWOT discharge for quantifying constituent fluxes is considered. We provide recommendations concerning how to best use SWOT data for applications related to hydrology and biogeochemistry, including how to design studies to accommodate its irregular orbit cycle.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Gehring, Beighley and Stubbins.