@article{fdi:010091988,
  title = {{F}irst results of the surface water ocean topography ({SWOT}) observations to rivers elevation profiles in the {C}uvette {C}entrale of the {C}ongo {B}asin},
  author = {{N}ormandin, {C}. and {F}rappart, {F}. and {B}aghdadi, {N}. and {B}ourrel, {L}uc and {L}uque, {S}. {P}. and {Y}gorra, {B}. and {K}itambo, {B}. and {P}apa, {F}abrice and {R}iazanoff, {S}. and {W}igneron, {J}. {P}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{R}ivers play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystems and regional climates, while also providing essential water for irrigation and drinking. {W}ith the increasing impacts of climate change and human activities, rivers are becoming more prone to extreme events (droughts and floods) and induced erosion/deposition processes, making water-related risk management more challenging. {T}he recent launch of the {S}urface {W}ater and {O}cean {T}opography ({SWOT}) mission, which focuses on continental surfaces with a spatial resolution of 100 m, has opened new avenues for applications in hydrology, hydrodynamics, and geomorphology. {T}his study examines the initial results of the {SWOT} mission for sixteen rivers (ranging in width from 50 to 2,000 m) in the {C}uvette {C}entrale of the {C}ongo {B}asin, obtained in {A}pril 2023 during the fast sampling phase. {T}he study assesses water surface elevations ({WSE}) and backscatter coefficient (sigma 0) measured from {SWOT}. {C}omparisons of {WSE} with data from other radar altimetry missions ({S}entinel-3{A} and 3{B}, {J}ason-3, and {S}entinel-6{A}) and {GEDI} data show high correlation coefficients of 0.977 (with a bias of 0.538 m) and 0.992 (with a bias of 1.011 m), respectively. {T}he first maps of {WSE} slopes show realistic values, even in rivers less than 100 m wide, with steeper slopes upstream. {V}arious {WSE} longitudinal profiles are retrieved with unprecedented spatial resolution, surpassing what other nadir altimetry missions have achieved. {T}he sigma 0 values, between -10 and 20 d{B} on average, also appear consistent with other studies. {T}hese promising initial results pave the way for future studies on fluvial geomorphology dynamics and erosion/deposition processes from the new {SWOT} observations.},
  keywords = {{SWOT} mission ; rivers ; water surface elevation ; backscattering coefficient ; {C}uvette {C}entrale ; {C}ongo basin ; {ZAMBIE} ; {TANZANIE} ; {CAMEROUN} ; {BURUNDI} ; {RWANDA} ; {REPUBLIQUE} {DEMOCRATIQUE} {DU} {CONGO} ; {ANGOLA} ; {CENTRAFRIQUE} ; {CONGO} {BASSIN}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{F}rontiers in {R}emote {S}ensing},
  volume = {5},
  numero = {},
  pages = {1466695 [16 p.]},
  year = {2024},
  DOI = {10.3389/frsen.2024.1466695},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010091988},
}