SWOT satellite images reveal water levels in Mendocino County, Northern California, on Jan. 15 (pre-storms) and Feb. 4 (post-first storms). Light blue and green highlight elevated water levels. [Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech}
In February 2024, atmospheric rivers hit California, bringing record rainfall and powerful winds. NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission, in collaboration with the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales, captured images of coastal flooding near Manchester, a census-designated community along Mendocino County’s rugged coast.
As per a press release from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the satellite, launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in central California, used the KaRIn instrument to measure water levels. The images, taken on Jan. 15, 2024, before the storms, and on Feb. 4, 2024, after the first heavy rainfall, show water heights in shades of green and blue. Lighter colors indicate elevated levels relative to sea level.
SWOT, operational since December 2022, provides detailed views of Earth’s water surfaces, including oceans, lakes, and rivers. The focus on Manchester highlights the satellite’s ability to capture flooding impacts on a local scale.
I saw it with my peepers