Study tests SWOT satellite measurements against reservoir records

Researchers evaluated 773 USGS and US Army Corps of Engineers water-level time series. Median rank correlations were 0.96 and 0.94, respectively; downstream-discharge correlations were lower, at 0.39 and 0.57.

Published October 17, the paper is an early, peer-reviewed accepted manuscript awaiting its final version. These are validation results for an existing satellite mission, not a new launch or proof that all reservoirs can be monitored equally well.