The first mission to survey nearly all of the water on Earth's surface lifted off Friday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
LOMPOC -- The first mission to survey nearly all of the water on Earth's surface has launched.
While water is critical for the survival of life on Earth, it also shapes our weather and climate as it stores and moves carbon and heat trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gas emissions. Surveying this resource can help scientists understand the global water budget — assessing main sources, how these sources are changing and the impacts that will have on different environments.
The satellite's instruments will collect detailed data on both freshwater and ocean features in high definition. But the KaRIn radar instrument can collect measurements through cloud cover and the darkness of night. The two antenna are positioned on either end of a 33-foot-long boom on the satellite. These antennas send radar pulses to the surface of the water and receive signals back.
Data from SWOT can help researchers fill knowledge gaps as they seek to understand the ripple effects of the climate crisis, like how sea level is shifting along coastlines and areas that may be more prone to flooding, to better predict rising water levels in the future.
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