Speaker: Jinbo Wang, Associate Professor, Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University
Title: SWOT Wide-Swath Altimetry: A New Era for Submesoscale Ocean Dynamics
Host: Patrick Heimbach
Abstract: Ocean submesoscale dynamics (roughly 1–100 km) modulate vertical exchanges of heat, carbon, nutrients, and momentum, yet have historically been difficult to observe globally with conventional nadir altimetry. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, launched on 16 December 2022, pioneers Ka-band radar interferometry (KaRIn) to deliver two-dimensional sea surface height (SSH) measurements. In this talk, I will introduce this mission and its early scientific breakthroughs on how wide-swath altimetry provides the first global view of dynamic SSH variability at submesoscales. These findings open a door to a suite of new problems in dynamical oceanography. I will discuss the emerging opportunities for multi-sensor synergy using machine learning.
- Archer, M., et al. (2025). Wide-swath satellite altimetry unveils global submesoscale ocean dynamics. Nature, 640, 691–696. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08722-8.
- Wang, J., et al. (2025). SWOT mission validation of sea surface height measurements at sub-100 km scales. Geophysical