High-latitude eddy statistics from SWOT  compared with in situ observations

de Marez, Charly; Bendinger, Arne; Dilmahamod, Ahmad Fehmi

doi:10.5194/os-22-1515-2026

Articles | Volume 22, issue 3

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-1515-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-1515-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 22, issue 3

Research article

| Highlight paper

|

13 May 2026

Research article | Highlight paper |

| 13 May 2026

High-latitude eddy statistics from SWOT compared with in situ observations

Charly de Marez, Arne Bendinger, and Ahmad Fehmi Dilmahamod

Data sets

SWOT Level-3 SSH Basic (v3.0) [Data set] AVISO/DUACS https://doi.org/10.24400/527896/A01-2023.017

ADCP current measurements during Maria S. Merian cruise MSM54 Johannes Karstensen et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.911727

ADCP current measurements (38 and 75 kHz) during Maria S. Merian cruise MSM74 Johannes Karstensen and Rena Czeschel https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.929000

Master track of MARIA S. MERIAN cruise MSM129/1 in 1 sec resolution (zipped, 41 MB) Johannes Karstensen and Michael Schlundt https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.972525

Editorial statement

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) wideswath altimeter is providing unprecedented observations of the ocean surface, enabling characterisation of mesoscale eddies at high latitudes with a resolution fine enough to capture the relevant spatial scales. Eddies are smaller in high latitudes due to the change in the Coriolis parameter. The eddies in these latitudes are, however, important influencing deep-water formation, carbon uptake, and sea-ice melt. The paper shows that the new SWOT satellite enables robust, quantitative eddy detection in polar and subpolar oceans, opening the door to global eddy climatologies in areas previously inaccessible.