NASA, French SWOT Satellite Offers Big View of Small Ocean Features

NASA, French SWOT satellite offers big view of small ocean features

Small things matter, at least when it comes to ocean features like waves and eddies. A recent NASA-led analysis using data from the SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite found that ocean features as small as a mile across potentially have a larger impact on the movement of nutrients and heat in marine ecosystems than previously thought.

NASA’s Latest Satellite Reveals Shocking Heat Movement Deep in the Ocean

A groundbreaking international study published in Nature in April 2025 has unveiled the critical role of previously elusive small-scale ocean features in global marine dynamics. Utilizing data from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite—a collaborative mission between NASA and the French space agency CNES—scientists have gained an unprecedented two-dimensional view of ocean waves and currents as small as a mile across. These so-…

High-Resolution Sea Surface Height Data | NASA’s SWOT Earth Satellite

High-Resolution Sea Surface Height Data | NASA’s SWOT Earth SatelliteSmall things matter, at least when it comes to ocean features like waves and eddies. A recent NASA-led analysis using data from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite found that ocean features as small as a mile across potentially have a larger impact on the movement of nutrients and heat in marine ecosystems than previously thought.Too small to see well with p…

NASA, French SWOT Satellite Offers Big View of Small Ocean Features

6 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Sunlight reflects off the ocean surface near Norfolk, Virginia, in this 1991 space shuttle image, highlighting swirling patterns created by features such as internal waves, which are produced when the tide moves over underwater features. Data from the international SWOT mission is revealing the role of smaller-scale waves and eddies.NASA The international mission coll…