The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite has successfully launched from Vandenberg in California, and is now on its way to become the most detailed water-level observation device in history — thanks to its new radar system, KaRIn.

"For the first time, SWOT will produce detailed images of water levels that will help understand the complex processes that connect water levels over the ocean and inland waters," explains Christine Gommenginger, professor, principal scientist in satellite oceanography, and co-lead of the SWOT-UK project. "One objective of SWOT-UK is to demonstrate how satellite Earth observation data can be used with in situ instruments and numerical models to answer important questions for science and society."