Monitoring surface waters from space to help address impacts of climate change
LONGUEUIL, QC, Dec. 16, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite launched earlier this morning on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Equipped with innovative technology, this satellite will survey nearly all water on Earth's surface for the first time. It will provide scientists with precise water level measurements on oceans and inland water bodies to help address the impacts of climate change and improve water management.
SWOT is an international mission led by NASA and France's space agency, CNES (Centre national d'études spatiales), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency.
The CSA contributed a key component: a set of extended interaction klystrons (EIKs). This device will amplify NASA's main radar instrument's signal in order to measure the fine details of the oceans' surface topography and how bodies of water change over time.
Using SWOT data, Canadian researchers will tackle pressing climate issues such as availability of freshwater resources and our changing oceans, coasts and inland waters. SWOT data will inform marine safety and security, water management, environmental monitoring, fisheries, marine transportation and sustainable development in the North. SWOT data will be openly available.
"Canadian researchers and technology will play a key role in helping survey nearly all water on Earth. Through the CSA's contribution to the SWOT mission, we will see crucial data provided to better understand and solve global issues like climate change and to improve our management of water as a strategic resource. By working together with our international partners, we can accomplish great things."
The Honourable François Philippe-Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
"Canada has much to gain from this satellite mission. We have the longest coastline in the world, as well as millions of lakes, reservoirs and rivers. The water level data that will be collected from this satellite has vast potential to help our scientists develop more accurate predictions for severe weather, flood and droughts, and better understand the consequences of climate change, particularly in vulnerable and remote areas like northern Canada."
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
"I'm excited that Canada is a part of this unprecedented global topography initiative. This mission will provide Canadian scientists with valuable data to help understand our oceans, vast coastlines, and how climate change affects our waters."
The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
Quick facts
- SWOT data could lead to improvements in many water-related services in Canada, including navigation, weather predictions and flood warning systems.
- Canadian researchers are also looking into water resources for northern communities, clean water supply, estuaries, coastal areas, tides, hydroelectricity as well as oceans currents and waves.
- Understanding the state of the oceans and interactions with the atmosphere are important factors to consider to make accurate climate projections.
- Canadian scientists have been involved on the SWOT science team since 2015, contributing to the definition of the science objectives, the establishment of numerical models, the study of relevant phenomena, and instrumenting key sites across Canada.
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Université de Sherbrooke, University of Toronto, McGill University, Dalhousie University, Wilfrid Laurier University and Université Laval are the institutions involved in the development of SWOT science and applications.
- The EIKs, the CSA's contribution to the SWOT satellite, were built in Ontario by Communications & Power Industries Canada Inc. (CPI). CPI is world-renowned for its expertise in this area.
Links
Resourceful, Resilient, Ready: Canada's Strategy for Satellite Earth Observation
Follow us on social media
SOURCE Canadian Space Agency
Canadian Space Agency, Media Relations Office, Telephone: 450-926-4370, Website: https://asc-csa.gc.ca, Email: [email protected]
Share this article